"It's a response to Putin's actions": the US does not believe that the permission to strike at Russian territory will increase the level of escalation

The US Department of State has commented on White House Chief of Staff Joe Biden's authorization of limited strikes by the Ukrainian Armed Forces against military targets in Russia. The US department does not believe that such a step by Washington could increase the level of escalation.

State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said at a briefing on Wednesday, June 5, that such strikes would help Ukraine better defend itself against attacks by Russian occupation forces. His words were quoted by the Ukrinform news agency.

Miller emphasized that the reason for this decision was the actions of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. He noted that the United States "will continue to take appropriate measures in response to what Putin has done to enable Ukraine to defend itself."

The State Department representative reminded that Russia has carried out a full-scale invasion of Ukraine and is waging a war, so it is Russia that is the aggressor in this war. It is Putin who is constantly raising the level of escalation.

"Russia is bringing its military equipment right up to the border and using it to fire on civilian targets, and we believe it is appropriate for Ukraine to defend itself," the US State Department spokesman added.

The day before, White House spokesman John Kirby said that Washington does not rule out that the permission for the Ukrainian Defense Forces to use US weapons on Russian territory could be extended. According to him, it will depend on the situation on the battlefield.

As a reminder, the United States has allowed Ukraine to attack Russia with the weapons it has provided to Ukraine on a limited basis. The Armed Forces of Ukraine can now intercept missiles and aircraft over Russian territory, strike military targets and conduct counter-battery fire from the other side of the border. Launching long-range missiles at Russia, such as ATACMS, is still prohibited.

As reported by OBOZ.UA, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that the permission to attack military targets beyond the Ukrainian-Russian border is an important and long-awaited step of the partners "in the right direction." However, Ukraine continues to work to expand the area of use of Western weapons in Russia.

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