Biden signs-off on Ukraine hitting military targets inside Russia with US arms; French driving training program; Sweden to send $1B in aid as Ukrainian military braces for Russian push near Kharkiv
Politico: US approves Ukrainians striking Russian troops, bombers, and missiles inside their borders with US weapons
The Biden administration has quietly given Ukraine permission to strike inside Russia — solely near the area of Kharkiv — using U.S.-provided weapons, three U.S. officials and two other people familiar with the move said Thursday, a major reversal that will help Ukraine to better defend its second-largest city.
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Ukraine asked the U.S. to make this policy change only after Russia’s offensive on Kharkiv began this month, the official added. All the people were granted anonymity to discuss internal decisions that haven’t been announced.
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In effect, Ukraine can now use American-provided weapons, such as rockets and rocket launchers, to shoot down launched Russian missiles heading toward Kharkiv, at troops massing just over the Russian border near the city, or Russian bombers launching bombs toward Ukrainian territory. But the official said Ukraine cannot use those weapons to hit civilian infrastructure or launch long-range missiles, such as the Army Tactical Missile System, to hit military targets deep inside Russia.
It’s a stunning shift the administration initially said would escalate the war by more directly involving the U.S. in the fight. But worsening conditions for Ukraine on the battlefield –– namely Russia’s advances and improved position in Kharkiv –– led the president to change his mind.
NYT: Biden’s sign-off for Ukraine hitting inside Russia signals ‘new chapter’ in the war
President Biden, under pressure from his top national security aides and European allies, has authorized Ukraine to conduct limited strikes inside Russia with U.S.-made weapons, opening what could well be a new chapter in the war for Ukraine, U.S. officials said on Thursday.
Mr. Biden’s decision appears to mark the first time that an American president has authorized limited military attacks on artillery, missile bases and command centers inside the borders of a nuclear-armed adversary.
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The Pentagon is charged with giving Ukraine the exact guidelines of what it can strike in Russia, U.S. officials said. Those have already been conveyed by Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III to Gen. Christopher G. Cavoli, the four-star commander of the U.S. European Command and the supreme allied commander for Europe. It was General Cavoli who conveyed the decision to Ukraine, officials said.
Reuters: France driving effort to send military trainers to Ukraine; announcement to come on D-Day anniversary with Zelensky
PARIS, May 30 (Reuters) - France could soon send military trainers to Ukraine despite the concerns of some allies and criticism by Russia, and may announce its decision next week during a visit by the Ukrainian president, three diplomatic sources said.
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France would initially send a limited number of personnel to assess the modalities of a mission before dispatching several hundred trainers, two of the diplomats said.
Training would centre around demining, keeping equipment operational and technical expertise for warplanes to be provided by the West, they said. Paris would also finance, arm, and train a Ukrainian motorised brigade.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is due in France on June 6, the 80th anniversary of D-day, when Allied soldiers landed in Normandy to drive out Nazi German forces during World War Two. He will hold talks with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris the next day.
Ukraine's top commander said on Monday he had signed paperwork allowing French military instructors to visit Ukrainian training centres soon.
NYT: Ukrainian military preps for Russian push near Kharkiv & Sumy as Sweden sends its largest military aid package yet to Ukraine
Top Ukrainian military officials have warned that Russia is building up troops near northeastern Ukraine, raising fears that a new offensive push could be imminent in a region that has become a pressure point on strained Ukrainian forces.
Gen. Oleksandr Syrsky, Ukraine’s commander in chief, said on Thursday that Moscow was redeploying troops toward Vovchansk and Lyptsi, two villages near the city of Kharkiv that Russian forces have been trying to capture for more than two weeks. Other officials have also said that Russia has massed troops further north, across from the Ukrainian region of Sumy, in preparation for a possible ground offensive in that area.
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Sweden said on Wednesday it was sending more than $1 billion of military aid to Ukraine, its biggest package so far, including air defense missiles along with surveillance and control aircraft capable of tracking fighter jets and bombers.
Ukraine’s “capability to identify targets at long range will be strengthened,” the Swedish defense minister, Pal Jonson, wrote on social media.