U.S. officials are trying to convince the U.S. President and his entourage to authorize the use of weapons against targets on the territory of the Russian Federation.

The Washington Post reported on this, citing its own sources in the US government.

Washington is facing pressure from NATO and several key European allies, one official said.

“If you cannot attack the Russian forces on the other side of the front line because they are on the other side of the border, then of course you really reduce the ability of the Ukrainian forces to defend themselves,” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said.

For his part, one U.S. official told The Washington Post:

“There is no restriction on Ukraine using the U.S.-supplied air defenses to shoot down Russian missiles or fighter jets over Russian territory if they pose a threat to Ukraine.”

Following the launch of a new Russian offensive in the Kharkiv region, a growing number of European countries have authorized the use of their own weapons to hit targets in Russia.

First of all, major European countries, such as France and the United Kingdom, have officially confirmed that they authorize the use of Storm Shadow/SCALP EG cruise missiles for military purposes in Russia.

In addition to France and Canada, Finland, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, the Baltic States, Poland, and Sweden have authorized the use of the transferred weapons for strikes on Russian territory.

In turn, French President Emmanuel Macron said:

“We should allow them to neutralize the military bases from which the missiles are launched.”

Militarnyi previously reported that the NATO Secretary General called for the abolition of the ban on the use of Western weapons to strike targets in Russia. The Secretary General noted that this is important right now when much of the fighting is taking place in Kharkiv, not far from the border.