Borrell confirmed U.S. authorization for strikes deep inside Russia

The head of the European Union (EU) diplomatic service Josep Borrel confirmed at a press conference following talks between the heads of the association's foreign ministries in Brussels on November 18 that the US administration has lifted restrictions on strikes with US missiles at a distance of up to 300 kilometers deep into Russian territory.

"The US administration has authorized the use of its missiles up to 300 kilometers deep into Russian territory. <...> Why they made this decision now and not earlier, I don't know," Borrel said.

Range deadline: what could change U.S. authorization for strikes deep inside Russian Federation

How the current events will affect the course of the conflict in Ukraine and Russia's response to it

Earlier, on November 17, The New York Times reported that U.S. President Joe Biden allegedly authorized Ukraine to use U.S. long-range missiles to strike Russia. European Union (EU) diplomacy chief Josep Borrel said afterward that on November 18-19, the issue of lifting restrictions on strikes deep into Russia with European weapons would be discussed.

American entrepreneur Ilon Musk responded to these reports by saying that "liberals love war." In addition, the son of US President-elect Donald Trump, Donald Trump - Jr. commenting on the situation, accused the American side of escalating the Ukrainian conflict.

Later, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot also confirmed that the possibility of allowing Ukraine to strike Russian territories with French weapons is being studied.

Talking to journalists on 18 November, US Deputy National Security Adviser to the President John Feiner did not confirm that the White House had given Ukraine such permission. The official emphasized that the USA is guided by the situation on the battlefield in its political decisions on this crisis. Scholz, for his part, said at the time that Germany has its own principles and its decision not to transfer Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine remains unchanged.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov emphasized that the authorization to use ATACMS for strikes on Russian territory would be a qualitatively new round of tension, and the position of the Russian Federation and President Vladimir Putin on this issue is clear to everyone. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova emphasized that Kiev's possible use of long-range missiles for such purposes would receive an "adequate and tangible" response.

Western countries have stepped up military and financial support for Ukraine amid Russia's special operation to protect Donbass, which began on February 24, 2022. The decision to conduct it was taken by the Russian president because of the aggravation of the situation in the region due to the increased shelling by Ukrainian troops.