Media Contact 202-226-8467

Singapore — Today, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX), House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-AL), and House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Chairman Mike Turner (R-OH) released the following statement on the Biden administration’s decision to partially reverse its policy to prohibit Ukraine from using U.S.-provided weapons against legitimate military targets in Russian territory after weeks of sustained congressional, international, and public pressure. According to these reports, Ukraine will now be permitted to use certain U.S.-provided weapons in limited areas within Russia which neighbor Ukraine’s Kharkiv Oblast in light of Russia’s ongoing offensive there. However, Ukraine is still prohibited from using U.S.-supplied ATACMs to strike legitimate targets deeper in Russian territory. 

“This decision should have been made before Russia’s recent offensive in Kharkiv, not after. Instead, the Biden administration’s continued handwringing crippled Ukraine’s response, forcing them to stand idly by and watch Russian forces prepare for an imminent attack just across its border. Moreover, by leaking to the press that the policy reversal only applies to certain U.S.-provided weapons in a limited area within Russia, the administration has telegraphed to Russia exactly how to effectively adapt to this change in policy, thereby decreasing the military effectiveness of the decision. To win this war of self-defense against Russia’s aggression, Ukraine must be allowed to use U.S.-provided weapons against any legitimate military targets in Russia, not just along the border near Kharkiv. Once again, President Biden’s policy of slow walking and half-measures is dragging out this conflict without providing Ukraine with a decisive advantage on the battlefield to force Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table as soon as possible.”

###