"You can't. But this may change": the Pentagon admits the possibility of allowing Ukraine to strike ATACMS deep into Russian territory

The United States may allow the Ukrainian Armed Forces to fire ATACMS missiles deep into Russian territory, Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said during a briefing.

"The United States does not allow Ukraine to use ATACMS missiles for 'deep' strikes against Russia. But this may change," she said.

Singh reminded that recently Ukraine was prohibited from using American weapons against military targets located on the territory of the Russian Federation, but after another escalation by the Kremlin, which launched an offensive in the Kharkiv region, Washington lifted this restriction and allowed strikes against the border regions of Russia.

On 12 July, US President Joe Biden also touched upon the topic of strikes by US weapons deep into Russia. According to the head of state, there is "no point in such attacks so far".

"If he (Zelenskyy – ed.) could hit Moscow, hit the Kremlin, would it make sense? It would not. The question is what is the best use for the weapons that he has, that we have given him," he said after the NATO summit.

In late May, the US president secretly authorised Ukraine to use US weapons to strike Russian territory, limiting the area of impact to areas bordering Kharkiv region.

Later, the White House confirmed that Washington had authorised "targeted and limited" strikes on Russian military targets to prevent attacks.

According to The Washington Post, the US has limited the depth of strikes to 100 km from the border. This makes it impossible to strike key Russian airfields used to attack Ukrainian cities. The State Department says it will allow the Ukrainian Armed Forces to launch long-range strikes if Russia tries to expand the Kharkiv front.

According to Politico, during the NATO summit in Washington, Kyiv planned to get the US to lift restrictions on strikes deep into Russia. In particular, Ukraine hoped to get permission to use ATACMS missiles, which can hit targets at a distance of up to 300 km.

Background. Meanwhile, The Telegraph wrote the day before that the UK authorities did not authorise the use of Storm Shadow in Russia. The newspaper called the statement by Prime Minister Keir Starmer "an awkward diplomatic moment" because it requires the permission of three countries: Britain, France, and the United States. Later, the British government said it was considering the issue.