Biden says Ukraine can strike Russia with U.S. arms to defend Kharkiv: reports
Global News
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.
U.S. 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 three 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-provided ATACMS or long-range missiles and other munitions to strike offensively inside Russia has not changed.
Biden’s directive allows for U.S.-supplied weapons to be used for “counterfire purposes in the Kharkiv region so Ukraine can hit back against Russian forces that are attacking them or preparing to attack them,” one official said.
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. Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, is just 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the Russian border.
Biden’s decision was first reported by Politico. Reuters, the Washington Post and other U.S. media outlets also cited Biden administration officials to confirm the move.
Ukrainian officials, most notably Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, have been increasingly vocal in arguing that the restriction was putting Ukrainian forces in an untenable situation as Russia intensified attacks around the northeast Kharkiv region.
The advances came with Russia exploiting a lengthy delay in replenishment of U.S. military aid and as Western Europe’s inadequate military production has slowed crucial deliveries to the battlefield for Ukraine.
During Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to Kyiv two weeks ago, Zelenskyy made his case for using American weapons to strike back at positions in Russia that were launching attacks into north and northeast Ukraine, according to three U.S. officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal administration deliberations.
The two-page bill would authorize Trump to 'take such steps as may be necessary' to annex Greenland and fast-track making the territory the 51st state.
On Monday, Indonesia and Malaysia became the first countries in the world to block Grok AI, citing concerns over non-consensual deepfakes.
Court documents showed the broadcaster would argue that the court in Florida lacked personal jurisdiction in the case because it did not broadcast the spliced speech in the state.
Economic pressure, which has intensified since September when the United Nations reimposed sanctions, has sent Iran's rial currency into a free fall.
The report was released to Global News under the Access to Information Act
A judge with the Alberta Court of Kings Bench has ruled PetroChina's attempts to take full ownership the Grand Rapids Pipeline lacks the necessary federal government approval.
'As part of the Danish Commonwealth, Greenland is a member of NATO and the defence of Greenland must therefore be through NATO,' the government statement said.
Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand in a joint statement with Australia and the European Union praised the bravery of peaceful protesters and attacked Iran's use of lethal force.
The head of the U.S. Federal Reserve disclosed a legal indictment from the DOJ, and said it was a "pretext" to gain political influence over the Fed to lower interest rates faster.
The U-Haul truck, with its side mirrors shattered, was stopped several blocks away and surrounded by police cars.
The U.S. has launched another round of retaliatory strikes against the Islamic State in Syria following an ambush that killed two U.S. soldiers and an American interpreter.
As protests in Iran near the two-week mark, Canada condemns the crackdown. Mark Carney calls reports of violence and arrests “profoundly concerning” and urges for peaceful protest.
"I would like to make a deal the easy way, but if we don't do it the easy way we're going to do it the hard way," he added, appearing to allude to potential military action.