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Who let Ukraine hit targets inside Russia?
Summary
Over 29 and 30 May 2024, a series of Western governments set out where Ukraine could use the weapons they had supplied.
Who decides where a donated weapon may be fired? On 30 May 2024, the answer from several of Ukraine's supporters was becoming clearer, as restrictions on striking Russian territory were loosened one capital at a time.
The day before, on 29 May 2024, France and Germany announced that French and German weapons sent to Ukraine, including long-range missiles, were permitted to target bases inside Russia. The Polish Defence Ministry said the same day that it had given Ukraine permission to use Polish-supplied weapons against targets inside Russian territory.
Washington and Copenhagen follow
On 30 May 2024, the United States gave Ukraine permission to strike Russian territory near Kharkiv Oblast with U.S.-supplied weapons. The permission had a clear limit: it did not extend to long-range missiles. The decision was reported under the heading of the 2024 Kharkiv offensive, which framed the question as one of defence in a specific border area.
The same day, Denmark's Foreign Minister, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, said Denmark had approved Ukrainian airstrikes on Russian territory using Danish-supplied F-16 jets.
Aid alongside permission
Permission came alongside new money. On 29 May 2024, Sweden announced a military aid package of $1.23 billion, the largest it had given Ukraine so far.
Taken together, the announcements of those two days showed that supplier governments were setting their own terms. France and Germany named long-range missiles and bases inside Russia. Poland spoke of targets inside Russian territory. The United States confined its permission to the area near Kharkiv Oblast and excluded long-range missiles. Denmark applied its approval to airstrikes by its F-16 jets.
A tense border elsewhere
On Europe's eastern frontier, a separate episode was reported on 28 May 2024. A Polish Border Guard soldier was seriously injured in an incident amid a surge of migrants trying to cross the EU border from Belarus.
What the day showed
The lesson of 30 May 2024 is about differences in approach. Each government answered the same question in its own way, and the answers ranged from a specific regional permission to broader approval covering bases inside Russia.
