US works to ease restrictions on Ukraine's use of weapons within Russia – Politico

The White House has been finalising a plan to ease restrictions on Ukraine's use of US-provided weapons for strikes on Russian territory.

As reported by Politico, according to a Western official, the talks have been conducted within a small group of officials at the White House.

The specifics of the plan are still being worked out. However, officials in Washington, London and Kyiv have recently discussed expanding the areas within Russia where Ukraine could use US and UK-made weapons to strike. 

Other individuals familiar with the discussions also discussed measures to prevent new cross-border attacks by Russia, including the possibility of allowing Ukraine to use UK long-range missiles with US components inside to target Russian territory.

These current talks between Washington and Kyiv represent a significant shift in tone compared to earlier discussions this summer. They indicate that the Biden administration may be ready to agree to Kyiv's request to allow Ukrainian forces to defend themselves better and take more aggressive steps inside Russia. 

For months, US officials had resisted calls from Kyiv and other European countries to lift all restrictions on the use of US long-range weapons for striking Russian territory.

US President Joe Biden said on Tuesday, 9 September, that the issue of lifting the ban on Ukraine's use of long-range weapons was under consideration. 

The discussions have gained particular urgency in recent days following the confirmation that Iran had successfully delivered ballistic missiles to Russia.