Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday hinted that the US may allow Ukraine to strike Russian territory with US-made missiles, which would risk provoking a major response from Moscow.
Blinken made the comments during a visit to Moldova and repeated a line that he’s said before about the issue, that the US doesn’t “encourage or enable” Ukrainian attacks inside Russia and that where to strike is ultimately up to Ukraine. But he added that the US would “adapt and adjust” his position on the battlefield.
When asked if that meant the US would support Ukrainian attacks inside Russia, Blinken replied, “Adapt and adjust means exactly that.”
Blinken’s comments came a week after the New York Times reported that he was leading the charge within the Biden administration to lift restrictions on Ukraine’s use of US weapons so they can strike Russian territory. The push to escalate the proxy war is a response to Russia’s offensive in Kharkiv, which was launched from Russia’s Belgorod Oblast.
Russian President Vladimir Putin warned on Tuesday that there would be “major consequences” for NATO countries that support long-range strikes on Russian territory. US and British missiles have been used in strikes on Crimea, which has been under Russian control since 2014, but not on the Russian mainland.
During his visit to Moldova, Blinken also announced $135 million in aid for the country in the name of countering Russia. According to AP, Blinken said $85 million would go toward energy infrastructure, and $50 million would be spent on overhauling the energy and farming industries and “deterring disinformation.”
This article was originally featured at Antiwar.com and is republished with permission.
