Washington, Jun 5 (AP) Ukraine has used US weapons to strike inside Russia in recent days, according to a US senator and a Western official familiar with the matter.

The weapons were used under recently approved guidance from President Joe Biden allowing American arms to be used to strike inside Russia for the limited purpose of defending Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city.

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The official was not authorised to comment publicly on the sensitive matter and spoke on condition of anonymity. Republican Senator Mike Rounds of South Dakota, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, confirmed the strikes with US weapons, but did not say how he was briefed.

Biden's directive allows for US-supplied weapons to be used to strike Russian forces that are attacking or preparing to attack. It does not change US policy that directs Ukraine not to use American-provided ATACMS or long-range missiles and other munitions to strike offensively inside Russia, US officials have said.

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Ukrainian officials had stepped up calls on the US to allow Kyiv's forces to defend themselves against attacks originating from Russian territory. Kharkiv sits just 20 km (12 miles) from the Russian border and has come under intensified Russian attack.

In advancing in the northeast Kharkiv region, Russian forces have exploited a lengthy delay in the replenishment of US military aid. In addition, Western Europe's inadequate military production has slowed crucial deliveries to the battlefield for Ukraine.

On Tuesday, White House national security spokesman John Kirby told reporters he could not confirm that Ukraine had used US weapons at targets in Russia.

“We're just not in a position on a day-to-day basis of knowing exactly what the Ukrainians are firing at what,” Kirby said. "It's certainly at a tactical level.”

According to a June 3 report from the Institute for the Study of War, Ukrainian forces struck a Russian S-300/400 air defense battery in the Belgorod region, likely with the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, or HIMARS, on June 1 or June 2. The air defence system was located roughly 60 km (about 40 miles) from the current front line in the Kharkiv region and more than 80 km (50 miles) from the city of Kharkiv, which is within the range of HIMARS, the institute reported.

Confirmation of the strikes comes as Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, visited Qatar, which, along with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, has been a mediator in prisoner swaps and other negotiations between Russia and Ukraine since the war began.

Zelenskyy met with Qatar's ruling emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. A readout from the state-run Qatar News Agency described the men as discussing ways “to stop the fighting, protect civilians, and keep all channels of communication open to resolve the crisis through dialogue and diplomatic means”.

Rounds said he agreed with Biden's decision to allow US weapons to be used for strikes against Russia under limited circumstances.

“I have no problem with Ukraine using the ATACMS and so forth and all the artillery that we got to be able to take them out before they cause more harm in Ukraine,” he said. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)