Arrival of F-16s has not changed US' policy on Ukrainian strikes inside Russia
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The U.S. policy on Ukrainian strikes deep into Russian territory with American weapons remains unchanged, despite the arrival of F-16 fighting jets in Ukraine, U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said during a press briefing on Aug. 5.
The U.S. gave Ukraine permission on June 1 to use some American-supplied weapons, including HIMARS rockets, to strike targets in Russia located near the border with Kharkiv Oblast after Russia launched a renewed offensive in the region on May 10.
Ukraine is still prohibited from using ATACMS and other long-range U.S.-supplied weapons for strikes deeper inside Russia.
The United States will decide on the use of American-made weapons provided to Ukraine, including F-16 fighters, for strikes in Russia depending on the situation on the battlefield and the needs of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, according to Miller.
"My answer has not changed today (Aug. 5), 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," Miller said.
This process "has been going on from the very beginning to the present day," the spokesperson added.
President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed on Aug. 4 that the first batch of F-16s had arrived in Ukraine and that the jets were already being used by Ukrainian pilots.
Kyiv received a number of F-16s a year after the launch of the Danish-Dutch-led "fighter jet coalition" at the NATO summit in Vilnius in July 2023.
Ukraine has been promised at least 79 F-16s from the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, and Belgium.
The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is an American air superiority fighter that Kyiv has requested from its partners since the start of the full-scale invasion.
