Sullivan: Russian operation in Kharkiv Oblast has lost momentum
In late May, the US, Germany, France, and other Ukrainian allies authorized Kyiv to use Western weapons to strike Russian territory.
US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan revealed that Ukraine’s use of American weapons to strike Russian territory near the Kharkiv region border has been effective.
On May 10, the Russians opened another front in northern Kharkiv Oblast in an attempt to exploit delays in Western arms deliveries.
“The momentum of that operation in Kharkiv has stalled out. Now, Kharkiv is still under threat, but the Russians have not been able to make material progress on the ground in recent days in that area,” Sullivan told CBS news.
He defended the decision to allow Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory as “common sense,” given that Russian forces were firing directly across the border at Ukrainian positions.
“What was happening up around Kharkiv, which was new just in the last couple of months, was a Russian offensive where they were moving from one side of the border directly to the other side of the border, and it simply didn’t make sense not to allow the Ukrainians to fire across that border,” said Sullivan.
Sullivan also reaffirmed the United States’ ongoing commitment to supporting Ukraine.
On 31 May, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken disclosed that President Joe Biden had secretly permitted Ukraine to use American weapons against targets on Russian soil. Biden later clarified that this authorization is limited to Russian territories bordering Ukraine, not targets like Moscow or the Kremlin.
Read more:
- Ukraine “radically changes” tactics with Western greenlight to strike Russia
- Zelenskyy: Russians failed to execute Kharkiv operation
- Frontline report: Russian offensive in Kharkiv stalls with Vovchansk as bridges over river destroyed
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