President Joe Biden has given Ukraine the go-ahead to use American weaponry to strike inside Russia for the limited purpose of defending Kharkiv, according to two U.S. officials familiar with the matter.
The officials, who requested anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter, underscored that the U.S. policy calling on Ukraine not to use American-provide long-range missiles and other munitions to strike inside Russia offensively has not changed.
The move comes as Ukrainian officials have stepped up calls on the U.S. administration to allow its forces to defend itself against attacks originating from Russian territory.
Biden's decision was first reported by Politico.
An increasing number of officials and nations have been saying Ukraine must be able to defend itself by attacking targets in Russian territory.
Earlier this week, with the calls for action against Russia on the rise, Russian President Vladimir Putin said there would be "serious consequences" if Western countries allowed Ukraine to use their weapons to strike targets in Russia, as sought by Kyiv.
"This constant escalation can lead to serious consequences," Putin said during a visit to Uzbekistan.
"In Europe, especially in small countries, they should be aware of what they are playing with," he said, noting that many European countries had "small territory" and a "dense population."
"And this factor, which they should keep in mind before they talk about striking deep into Russian territory, is a serious thing," he said.
He added that even if Ukraine's forces carried out the strikes, responsibility for them would lie with Western suppliers of the weapons.
Putin also said that while he believed Western military instructors were already in Ukraine operating undercover as mercenaries, any move by countries to send them officially would be another "escalation" and "another step towards a serious conflict in Europe, towards a global conflict."
AFP contributed to this report.