US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan on Sunday partially credited the lifted restrictions on the use of American-made missiles in Ukraine for what he called a “stalled” invasion of the Kharkiv region.
In an interview on CBS News, Sullivan described Biden’s decision to permit strikes on Russian territory with American weapons as “common sense.”
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Previously, the administration of US President Joe Biden did not permit any Washington-provided weaponry to attack targets within Russia for fear of escalation with Moscow.
“From the president’s perspective, this [policy change] was common sense,” Sullivan said.
When asked about the new policy allowing Ukrainian strikes using American missiles just over the Kharkiv region border into Russia, Sullivan responded, “It simply didn’t make sense not to allow the Ukrainians to fire across that border, to hit Russian guns and emplacements that were firing at the Ukrainians. So, the President authorized that.”
While Kharkiv remains under threat, Russian forces have not made significant progress in the region.
“And one thing I will point out is that the momentum of that operation in Kharkiv has stalled out. Now, Kharkiv is still under threat, but the Russians have not been able to make material progress on the ground in recent days in that area,” Sullivan pointed out.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also mentioned in a daily address on Saturday, June 8, that the Russian offensive in Kharkiv had failed.
“We are holding them back and destroying Russian units entering our land. Reinforcements are in place and will be strengthened,” Zelensky said.
President Biden clarified that Ukraine is allowed to strike only near the border in response to Russian attacks, not deep into Russian territory or on Moscow.
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