A loud statement from the White House: US did not ban strikes on Russian planes
White House advisor John Kirby answered a question about the possibility of the Ukrainian Armed Forces to use American weapons to strike Russian aircraft outside the territory of Ukraine. It was quite unexpected, as it turned out that there were no restrictions. In other words, if there is a threat, Ukraine can take extreme steps.
Kirby made this statement on June 4 during a conversation with journalists at the White House, writes the Voice of America. According to him, there was confusion about this issue. The United States has never imposed restrictions on strikes against Russian aircraft, either on the territory of Ukraine or abroad.
“I just want to note that there is some confusion about this. There have never been any restrictions on Ukrainians shooting down enemy aircraft, even if these aircraft were not necessarily in Ukrainian airspace,” the politician said.
He added that the aircraft in question are those that carry guided aerial bombs, as they pose an “imminent threat” to the civilian population of Ukraine. Kirby also emphasized that the Ukrainian Armed Forces have been eliminating such aircraft since the beginning of the war.
Strikes on the territory of the Russian Federation with Western weapons
After the Russian invaders launched a large-scale offensive in the Kharkiv region, the issue of the possibility of Western weapons strikes on Russian aviation and military facilities, not on the territory of Ukraine or the occupied territories, but in Russia, became acute. A number of countries almost immediately agreed to lift the restrictions. These include the UK, France, the Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, Finland, the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Canada.
At the end of last week, the German government also authorized Ukraine to attack targets in Russia with German weapons. However, Chancellor Olaf Scholz is still against the transfer of Taurus cruise missiles to Kyiv. As for the United States, the media recently reported that President Biden had authorized the use of American-made weapons against Russia. However, the White House has imposed restrictions – only Russian targets near the border of Kharkiv region are allowed to be hit.
