U.S. President Joe Biden has given Ukraine permission to use U.S.-supplied weapons to attack targets in Russia, but only near the Kharkiv region, U.S. officials said.
One person told BBC News that his team had been instructed to ensure Ukraine could “fight back” with U.S. weapons against Russian forces that attack or prepare to attack them.
In recent weeks, Russian forces have made gains in a surprise offensive in the Kharkiv region close to the Russian border.
Russian shelling of a residential building on the outskirts of Kharkiv killed three people and injured 16 others, Ukrainian officials said on Friday.
The US official also told the BBC: “Our policy on prohibiting the use of Army tactical missile systems [ATACMS] Or there are no changes to long-range strikes inside Russia.
When asked by BBC US partner CBS whether the new policy would include attacking Russian aircraft, one official said: “We never told them [Ukraine] They were unable to shoot down Russian aircraft attacking them over Russian territory.
The White House and State Department had no immediate comment.
Britain earlier said it was willing to ease restrictions on how Ukraine can use Western-supplied weapons.
Some European leaders have also recently called for an easing of restrictions on the use of such weapons, despite concerns that such a development could further inflame the conflict.
But Washington, which supplies Ukraine with most of its weapons, has refused to ease those restrictions for fear of escalation.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken hinted at the shift during a visit to Moldova on Wednesday.
“Every step of the way, we adjust and adapt as needed,” he said.
“That’s exactly what we’re going to do next.”
Russian forces have recently appeared to take advantage of a window of opportunity to push deeper into Ukrainian territory in Kharkiv as Kiev awaits the arrival of more Western weapons on the front lines.
At least 12 people died and dozens injured Last week, Russian forces attacked supermarkets in the city of Kharkiv with two glide bombs.
Earlier on Friday, Kharkiv Region Governor Oleh Syniehubov said on Telegram that Russian shelling hit a five-story apartment in the Novobavarsky district of Kharkiv building, destroying parts of the building and causing a fire.
He said at least three people were killed and 16 injured, including a 12-year-old boy and a 12-year-old girl, both of whom were taken to hospital.
Ukrainian officials accused Russian forces of “specifically targeting civilian infrastructure” and using “double-strike tactics” to attack the site a second time after paramedics and rescue workers arrived.
