Ukrainian troops can shoot down Russian warplanes over Russian territory with American weapons. The US did not impose any restrictions on it.
This was stated by White House National Security Adviser John Kirby during a briefing.
"I just want to point out that there is some confusion about this. There have never been any restrictions on Ukrainians shooting down enemy planes, even if those planes are not in Ukrainian airspace. I mean, they can shoot down Russian planes that pose a threat,” Kirby said.
- On May 30, 2024, it became known that US President Joe Biden gave permission to Ukraine to strike Russian territory with American weapons, but with certain restrictions — the strikes must be against military targets in the border regions to protect the Kharkiv region.
- Financial Times journalist Christopher Miller wrote that Ukraine applied for permission to stop the offensive on the Kharkiv region on May 13. Two days later, White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan explained to Joe Biden why the clearance should be granted, and he agreed, asking his team to work out the details. State Secretary Anthony Blinken also started promoting this idea after returning from Kyiv on May 17. At the end of May, the US leader approved the decision, and it entered into force on May 30.
- Ukraine can freely use American GMLRS missiles, HIMARS artillery missile systems and other artillery. The authorization does not extend to ATACMS surface-to-surface long-range missiles.
- On June 1, the American magazine Forbes wrote that the Defense Forces began to fire American weapons at Russian military targets in Belgorod region almost immediately after the US permission. On the night of May 31, HIMARS attacked the territory of the Russian Federation for the first time.