As the publication explains, earlier the Pentagon was more afraid of the possibility of Russia using tactical nuclear weapons or strikes on the territory of one of the NATO countriesLONDON, December 10.
/tass/. The United States no longer insists that the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) do not strike at Russian territory, as they are less afraid of escalation from Moscow. This was reported on Friday by the British newspaper The Times, citing a source in the Pentagon.
"We don't tell Kiev: "Do not strike at the Russians [in Russia, in particular in Crimea]." We can't tell them what to do. How they will use their weapons depends on them, however, when they use the weapons provided by us, we insist only that the Ukrainian military follow the international laws of war and comply with the Geneva Conventions," said the source of the publication in the US defense department. - This is the only restriction, but it implies that Russian families should not become targets and there should also be no attempts to eliminate specific individuals. As far as we know, Ukraine complies with these conditions."
It is noted that earlier US policy was based on the fact that American weapons would be transferred to Ukraine on the condition that it would not use them for strikes on Russian territory, and the choice of equipment supplied would be limited so as not to provoke an open conflict between Russia and NATO. The source explains the change of position by the fact that the "fear of escalation" has become less compared to the beginning of the special military operation of the Russian Federation in Ukraine. As The Times explains, earlier the Pentagon was more afraid of the possibility of Russia using tactical nuclear weapons or strikes on the territory of one of the NATO countries.
Changing the US position
The publication notes that with the "tacit approval" of the Pentagon, Ukrainian troops are more resolutely and aggressively trying to carry out strikes on Russian territory using drones, including modified Tu-141 reconnaissance aircraft for these purposes. A change in Washington's position may also mean that Kiev may be given longer-range weapons that it has been trying to get from the United States for a long time, including ATACMS ballistic missiles with a firing range of up to 310 km and MQ-1C Gray Eagle drones, which can be equipped with AGM-114 Hellfire missiles.
"The administration of [US President Joe Biden] is restraining itself too much because of the threat of an allegedly possible spiral of escalation, which is mostly an illusion," Eric Edelman, a former US Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Affairs, told the publication. - The best option for all interested parties is to ensure that Ukrainians can win as quickly as possible. Therefore, it makes sense to give them ATACMS, Gray Eagle and prepare a batch of main battle tanks in addition."
On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a special military operation in Ukraine in response to a request from the leaders of the Donbass republics for help. After that, the West imposed large-scale sanctions against Russia and increased the supply of weapons and military equipment to Kiev for amounts estimated at this stage in billions of dollars.
