Ukraine can use US-supplied weapons, to hit Russian forces firing at Ukrainian troops anywhere across the border with Russia, not just on Russian territory near Ukraine's Kharkiv region, the Pentagon said on Thursday, quoted by "Reuters" and News.bg.
Last month, President Joe Biden quietly authorized Kiev to fire US-supplied weapons at military targets in Russia.
But officials said at the time that Biden's decision applied only to targets in Russia near the border with Ukraine's eastern Kharkiv region.
Pentagon spokesman Air Force Maj. Gen. Patrick Ryder told reporters that while there was no change in policy, Ukraine's use of weapons against Russian troops was not limited to near Kharkiv by the Russian side.
"It's self-defense, so it makes sense that they should be able to do it,", he added.
Rider's remarks echo comments made by Biden's national security adviser earlier this week.
"This is not about geography. It's about common sense,'' White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told PBS. "If Russia attacks or is about to attack from its territory in Ukraine, it only makes sense to allow Ukraine to strike back against the forces that are hitting it from across the border."
Sullivan added that Ukraine could also use air defense systems to shoot down Russian aircraft flying in Russian airspace if they were about to shoot down Ukrainian airspace.