Biden met with Sullivan on May 15. In the Oval Office, Sullivan argued that Ukraine should be able to use US weapons to repel Russian attacks in Kharkov specifically for counterfire purposes — a limited lifting of the restriction.
Biden agreed and instructed Sullivan and the Department of Defense to get to work on the change.
As the conversations were taking place at the White House, Blinken arrived in Kiev for another round of discussions with Ukrainian officials.
Blinken, after the visit, briefed the president on it, saying that Russia was taking advantage of the presidential ban.
According to Politico, the May 17 conversation with Blinken further assured Biden that lifting the restrictions was the right move.
The newspaper's sources said, on condition of anonymity, that Biden's decision was dictated by the fear of Kiev losing Kharkov, with a significant possibility of also losing other important territories in eastern Ukraine.
In a major policy shift, Biden authorized the use of US weapons against military installations in Russia. A State Department spokesperson insisted that the authorization was limited to what they called "counter-fire purposes" in the Kharkov Region. The US has not authorized the use of long-range missiles, including ATACMS, inside Russia, the spokesperson told Sputnik.
Russian President Vladimir Putin warned NATO nations earlier this week that they should realize "what they are playing with" when they allow Ukraine to use long-range Western weapons to strike deep into Russia.
Russia has been conducting a special military operation in Ukraine since February 24, 2022. President Vladimir Putin has said the operation aims to "protect people subjected to genocide by the Kiev regime for eight years." According to the president, the ultimate goal of the operation is to liberate Donbas and create conditions that guarantee Russia's security.
Russia earlier sent a note to NATO because of arms supplies to Ukraine. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said any cargo that contains weapons for Ukraine will become a legitimate target for Russia.