The United States has decided to relax its policy on the use of longer-range missiles provided to Ukraine, allowing the military to strike targets inside Russia beyond just the front lines near Kharkiv. This decision was made in response to Russia’s relentless barrage of missiles on Ukraine, with the US acknowledging that Ukraine has the right to defend itself if attacked from inside Russia. According to Major General Pat Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, since Russia is conducting operations from across the border, Ukraine can and does have the right to fire back in self-defense.
The Pentagon clarified that this is not a new policy, but rather an adjustment to the previous one, which prohibited Ukraine from using US-provided munitions to hit targets inside Russia. The reason for this change is that if Russia is attacking or about to attack Ukraine from its territory, it only makes sense to allow Ukraine to hit back against the forces that are hitting it from across the border. Additionally, Ukraine can use air defense systems supplied by the US to take down Russian planes that are about to fire into Ukrainian airspace, even if those planes are in Russian airspace.
Unilateral Strikes Against Russian Territory
The US is also rushing the delivery of air defense interceptor missiles to Ukraine to counter the increased Russian attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure. The White House announced that it is redirecting shipments planned for other allied nations to Ukraine, and the US military will provide hundreds of Patriot missiles to the Ukrainian military. The Ukrainian military has launched a wave of drones that struck three oil refineries inside southern Russia overnight, targeting the infrastructure that supplies the Russian military.
Russia has responded to the Ukrainian drone attacks by downing 114 drones, with 70 shot down in Crimea and the Black Sea, 43 in the Krasnodar region, and one in the Volgograd region. However, despite the improvements in Russia’s air defenses, Ukraine has continued its campaign to strike oil infrastructure across the border, hitting multiple sites in 2024 as part of its effort to disrupt Russia’s military supplies.
The relaxation of US policy allows Ukraine to take a more proactive role in defending itself against Russian aggression and adds a new dimension to the conflict. It remains to be seen how Russia will respond to this development and whether it will escalate the situation further.
