On 31 May, the United States sent a signal to Ukraine that it was authorised to launch strikes on Russian territory with American weapons. The message was transmitted through the military.
Zelenskyy confirmed receiving permission from US to strike Russia
We had a message from the American side. Early this morning I received this message from my military. I can't tell you the details about it.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy
President of Ukraine
He stated that the US decision to use the provided weapons is a step forward, and for Ukraine an opportunity to protect the residents of the border areas.
I want to see what happens in practice. But what I see is, in any case, a step forward towards this goal, which we discussed earlier, to make it possible for us to protect our people living near the border, Zelenskyy said.
What preceded it
On May 31, it became officially known that the US allowed Ukraine to use the provided American weapons for strikes on the territory of Russia.
However, Washington has set restrictions — US weapons can be used only in the border territories of the Kharkiv region.
The President (Joe Biden — editor) recently instructed his team to ensure that Ukraine could use American weapons to retaliate against Kharkiv region, so that Ukraine could retaliate against Russian forces that are striking or preparing to strike, one of insiders said.
Germany also made a similar decision. Berlin allowed Ukraine to strike the border areas of Russia to protect Kharkiv.
According to Bild, Germany allowed Ukraine to strike at a distance of up to 40 km on the territory of Russia. Two German weapons systems are being considered for strikes — the Panzerhaubitze 2000 self-propelled howitzer and the Mars II armored salvo missile system.
