US State Dept: No Change In Policy Regarding Cross-Border Attacks

Speaking on the ongoing Ukrainian military operation in the Russian Kursk region, US State Department Spokesperson Vedant Patel has told reporters that there has been "no change" in US policy regarding "cross border attacks." Patel's comments suggest that Washington is unlikely to relax restrictions on Ukraine's use of US-supplied weapons in Russian territory.

• Patel adds: "What we are focused on is making sure our Ukrainian partners have what they need to defend themselves from Russian aggression."
• Patel also notes: "We have seen some Russian troop movement out of Ukraine to deal with the incursion..." appearing to suggest that Kyiv may be achieving some success diverting Russian troops from the frontline in the Southeast where the most intensive fighting of the war has taken place.
• The Spectator notes that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, "is urging allies to remove the restrictions holding Ukraine back. He has claimed that Kyiv and Washington will discuss approving the use of long-range American missiles to strike deep into Russia. He turned to Britain with the same request, but London made it clear that British Storm Shadow missiles are off-limits for the Kursk offensive."
• Republican Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) called on the Biden administration to cancel restrictions on the use of US weapons after a meeting with Ukrainian officials in Kyiv this week.
• Zelenskyy said after the meeting: "Today I met with the U.S. Senate delegation. We discussed what exactly is needed to bring this war to a just end, including our need to use long-range weapons."