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Kyiv's partners loosen limits on striking Russia
Summary
A run of announcements from 29 to 31 May 2024 widened where Ukraine could use Western-supplied arms, as fighting around Kharkiv continued.
What changed for Ukraine's armed forces in the closing days of May, and how did the war look on 31 May 2024?
On that day, Russian missiles hit civilian infrastructure in Kharkiv, killing at least three people and injuring 16 others. Ukraine, for its part, launched missile and drone strikes across Krasnodar Krai in Russia, injuring two people and damaging several oil refineries. Ukraine and Russia also announced their first exchange of prisoners of war in nearly four months, with 150 people freed after negotiations mediated by the United Arab Emirates.
A widening set of permissions
The strikes came after a series of announcements from Kyiv's partners about how their weapons could be used. On 29 May, the Polish Defence Ministry said it had given Ukraine permission to use Polish-supplied weapons against targets inside Russian territory. The same day, France and Germany announced that their weapons sent to Ukraine, including long-range missiles, were permitted to target bases inside Russia.
On 30 May, Denmark's Foreign Minister, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, said Denmark had approved Ukrainian airstrikes on Russian territory using Danish-supplied F-16 jets. Also on 30 May, the United States gave Ukraine permission to strike Russian territory near Kharkiv Oblast with U.S.-supplied weapons, but not with long-range missiles.
Differences in scope
The permissions were not uniform. The American approval was tied to the area near Kharkiv Oblast and excluded long-range missiles. The French and German announcement, by contrast, covered long-range missiles and referred to bases inside Russia. Poland and Denmark described permissions for strikes on Russian territory, with Denmark's linked to F-16 jets.
These announcements were tied to the 2024 Kharkiv offensive, and the attack on Kharkiv on 31 May showed that civilian areas of the city remained exposed to Russian missiles.
Support beyond permissions
On 29 May, Sweden announced a military aid package of $1.23 billion, the largest it had given Ukraine so far. Alongside the loosened rules on use, this showed continuing material commitments from European partners.
What 31 May showed
The day combined escalation and a limited humanitarian step. Strikes continued in both directions, with Kharkiv hit and refineries in Krasnodar Krai damaged, while the exchange of 150 prisoners, brokered through the UAE, marked the first such swap in almost four months.
