Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s chief of staff said on Tuesday that using Western weapons to strike inside Russia was a vital decision that would impact Moscow’s tactical aviation and its capability to operate in border areas.
Following pressure from Ukraine and some of its European allies, the U.S. agreed last week to change its policy and allow Kyiv to strike inside Russia with Western weapons as part of its campaign to repel Russia’s full-scale invasion.
Kyiv said the step would help push back Russian advances and better defend territory in the northeast Kharkiv region.
“Permission to use Western weapons on the territory of the Russian Federation is a vital decision,” Andriy Yermak said on the Telegram messaging app.
“This will impact the conduct of the war, planning of counteroffensive actions, and will weaken Russians’ abilities to use their forces in the border areas.”