Pro-Ukraine House Republican chairmen argued on Friday that President Joe Biden’s decision to let Ukraine strike specific targets on Russian soil with American weapons is insufficient.
U.S. officials stated that Biden had granted Ukraine “limited” authorization for such strikes. Fox News explained:
The president recently directed his team to ensure that Ukraine can use U.S.-supplied weapons for counter-fire purposes in the Kharkiv region, allowing Ukraine to retaliate against Russian forces attacking them or preparing to do so. Our policy prohibiting the use of ATACMS or long-range strikes inside Russia remains unchanged.
This decision came after Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Turner (R-OH), and other lawmakers urged the president to allow Ukraine to use American arms to attack Russia.
This marks another escalation in Ukraine’s ongoing conflict with Russia.
However, Turner, House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-AL), and House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Mike McCaul (R-TX) described Biden’s decision as inadequate in a joint statement:
This decision should have been made before Russia’s recent offensive in Kharkiv, not after. The Biden administration’s continued hesitation crippled Ukraine’s response, forcing them to watch Russian forces prepare for an attack just across its border. Additionally, by leaking that the policy change only applies to certain U.S.-provided weapons in a limited area within Russia, the administration has shown Russia how to adapt, reducing the effectiveness of the decision. To win this self-defense war against Russia’s aggression, Ukraine must use U.S.-provided weapons against any legitimate military targets in Russia, not just near Kharkiv. Once again, President Biden’s slow and insufficient measures are prolonging this conflict without giving Ukraine a decisive advantage on the battlefield to compel Vladimir Putin to negotiate sooner.
Russian leader Vladimir Putin has warned that NATO countries allowing Ukraine to strike with their weapons would face “major consequences.”
The New York Times reported that Biden made Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky promise never to use American-provided weapons within Russian territory to “avoid World War III.”
