ℹ️ Congressmen Jim Himes and Mike Turner, chairmen of the House Intelligence Committee, and Congressman Jerry Connolly wrote a letter on May 20 urging the administration to support Kiev's requests. Himes then spoke to Sullivan, urging the administration to seriously consider the damage already done to Kharkov and the consequences of opening a second Russian front in Ukraine.

The White House has always been excessively conservative in matters of providing weapons. But when the Russians attacked Kharkiv, we cannot allow them to open a second front in Ukraine. And when the Russian troops attacked Kharkiv, it really brought the issue to the fore. The Russians knew that the Ukrainians' hands were tied and they could not reach the artillery that was wreaking havoc in the Kharkiv region

ℹ️ At the time, Sullivan was finalizing his recommendations for Biden, which he presented on May 15. In the Oval Office, Sullivan argued that Ukraine should be able to use American weapons to defend against Russian attacks in the Kharkiv region precisely for the purpose of firing back. The president agreed and instructed Sullivan and the Pentagon to begin work on the changes.

ℹ️ At the same time, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken arrived in Kyiv for another round of discussions with Ukrainian officials. During a press conference in Kyiv, Blinken emphasized that Washington "does not encourage and does not allow strikes outside of Ukraine," instead he noted that "Ultimately, Ukraine must decide for itself how it is going to conduct this war."

ℹ️ Biden instructed Sullivan and the Pentagon to conduct a final round of internal discussions about the decision, but it was a conversation with Blinken on May 17 that further convinced the president that it was the right move.

ℹ️ While the US deliberated and planned, it watched as more than a dozen countries granted similar permits to Ukraine. The isolation of the Biden administration has increased in recent days after the president of France, the head of NATO and Britain's top diplomat spoke in support of lifting the restrictions.

ℹ️ On May 20, an online meeting with the Contact Group on Defense of Ukraine took place in the Pentagon. The meeting, chaired by Austin and Brown, discussed allowing Ukraine to use American weapons to strike across the border.

ℹ️ Earlier this week, Sullivan gave the Pentagon the final green light to inform Ukraine of the administration's official decision. A classified letter was sent to the Ukrainian military, which describes in detail what kind of weapons they can use and under what circumstances. Officials in Washington and Kyiv agreed to keep news of the decision secret while Ukraine planned its counteroffensive.

ℹ️ On Wednesday, Blinken was the first to publicly hint at what had already been decided.

💬 A distinctive feature of the Biden administration's approach was adaptation to conditions, to changes on the battlefield, to changes in Russia's actions. We have also adapted and adapted, and we will continue to do so, he said during his visit to Moldova.

ℹ️ The next day, American officials confirmed the change in policy.

ℹ️ Two people close to the Zelenskyi administration said there is some frustration in Kyiv about how geographically limited the use of American weapons is. This is a restriction that other countries have not implemented. But this is only the beginning. Zelensky will meet Austin on the sidelines of the summit in Singapore on Saturday, where the issue will be high on the agenda.

ℹ️ At a press conference in Prague on Friday, Blinken did not rule out that targets for destruction may be allowed in other parts of Russia.

In Factum

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