U.S. Permission for Ukraine To Strike Deep Inside Russia Will 'Depend On Battlefield Situation,' State Dept Says

The United States said on Monday its position on extending the permission for Ukraine to launch deep strikes inside Russia using American weapons remains unchanged and that it will depend on the battlefield situation, TURAN's Washington correspondent reports.

"My answer has not changed today, which is — we constantly look at the needs of the Ukrainian military, we assess the security situation, and we try to be responsive to their needs," State Department's Spokesperson Matthew Miller told a daily briefing when asked by TURAN's whether the recent arrival of first batch of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine might allow Washington to reconsider its positions on Ukrainian response to hit back at military targets over 100 kilometers inside Russia.

"We make those determinations both when it comes to these specific weapons that we provide Ukraine and the restrictions, if any, that we put on the use of those weapons," Miller added.

TURAN also asked the spokesperson about President Zelenskyy's recent appeal for NATO to discuss the possibility of destroying missiles in Ukrainian territory.

"That is a discussion that, as with all NATO discussions, to be had among NATO members and a decision that NATO would reach collectively," Miller replied.

The move came as Ukraine's air defense announced last night that it shot down two Iskander-M or KN-23 ballistic missiles, two cruise Kh-59 cruise missiles and 15 attack drones that Russia launched overnight.

Several explosions rang out in Kyiv late on Monday after an air raid siren sounded, but authorities said air defense units had intercepted incoming missiles.