The Secretary General of NATO Jens Stoltenberg downplayed Russian threats of escalation on Friday after the US decision to allow Ukraine to hit Russia with US weapons, stating that Kiev has a right to self-defense.

The Pentagon’s permission for Ukraine to launch strikes on Russian soil it will not affect in any way Andrei Kartapolov, head of the Duma Defense Committee, told RIA Novosti about the course of the “special operation”. “At the same time, threats to the USA itself will appear and Moscow will respond asymmetrically,” said the Russian MP.

“There is nothing new (…) It is part of (Russian) President (Vladimir) Putin’s efforts to prevent NATO allies from supporting Ukraine,” Stoltenberg commented before the start of a meeting of foreign ministers of the Alliance’s member countries in Prague.

A Politico report, citing three US officials and two unnamed well-informed sources, said that US President Joe Biden has tacitly authorized Ukraine to use US weapons systems in attacks against Russian border areas. exclusively near the Kharkiv area.

“The president recently instructed his team to ensure that Ukraine is able to use American weapons for the purpose of counterattacking in Kharkiv, so that Ukraine can respond to Russian forces striking it or preparing to strike it,” one of the US officials said.

What is allowed, and what is not, in Kiev after the US “green light”.

However, he emphasized that US policy “has not changed”, based on which not allowed in Kiev to use long-range missiles to strike one of Russia.

As Politico points out, Ukraine asked the US to change its policy after the Russian offensive against Kharkiv began this month, the official said.

Essentially, Ukraine can now use US-provided weapons, such as rockets and rocket launchers, to shoot down Russian missiles headed for Kiev, against troops massing on the Russian side of the border near Kharkiv or against Russian bombers dropping bombs on Ukrainian soil.

However, the official stressed that Ukraine it cannot use these weapons to strike civilian infrastructure or launch long-range missiles against military targets deep in Russian territory.