The United States allowed Ukraine to use American weapons to defeat any Russian forces attacking across the border, not just those located near the Kharkiv region.

This was reported by Politico with reference to U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and two unnamed U.S. officials.

Sullivan explained that the agreement with Ukraine to strike with American weapons at Russia applied to any place where Russian troops crossed the border from Russian to the Ukrainian side in order to seize Ukrainian territory.

He also noted that Russia made it clear that it could attack the city of Sumy, which is located near the border with the Russian Federation. Sullivan noted that if this happens, this policy will apply there as well.

“This is not about geography. It’s about common sense. If Russia is attacking or about to attack from its territory into Ukraine, it only makes sense to allow Ukraine to hit back against the forces that are hitting it from across the border,” Sullivan said.

Also, Pentagon spokesman Patrick Ryder on June 20 said that Ukraine’s use of weapons against Russian troops was not limited to territory near the Kharkiv region from the Russian side.

“As we see Russian forces firing across the border, the ability for Ukraine to fire back at those ground forces using U.S.-provided munitions,” Ryder noted.

As previously reported, U.S. President Joe Biden allowed Ukraine to use American weapons at military facilities in Russia, but then American officials said that this applied only to Russian facilities near the border with the Kharkiv region.

Biden, in an interview in early June, clarified that Ukraine could’ve not used American weapons for strikes more than 320 kilometers (200 miles) inland.

This month, the Ukrainian military launched an accurate attack on the position of the Russians S-400 anti-aircraft missile system in the Belgorod region.

The strike, conducted probably, with the American M142 HIMARS.

The destruction of such a system weakens Russian air defense capabilities, which will give Ukrainian forces the capability to more effectively strike Russian targets.