"We write in our capacity as members of the US House of Representatives to convey our strong support of several urgent requests on behalf of our Ukrainian colleagues: Authorizing the Use of US-Provided Weapons to Strike Strategic Targets within Russian Territory Under Certain Circumstances," US House Intelligence Committee Chairman Michael Turner and other lawmakers said in the letter.
The Biden administration has repeatedly said since the start of Russia's special military operation that it discourages Ukraine from carrying out strikes on Russian territory and restricts Kiev from using US-supplied weapons for such strikes.
However, the US lawmakers claim in the letter that this policy from the Biden administration is holding back Ukraine’s ability to use US-supplied weapons to push back Russian forces making advances near the city of Kharkiv.
The lawmakers also urged the Defense Department to train more Ukrainian pilots to operate F-16 fighter jets.
The West has recently been increasingly discussing direct intervention in the Ukrainian conflict. For example, French President Emmanuel Macron said that the French military might be sent to Ukraine, while British Foreign Minister David Cameron said that it was acceptable for the Ukrainian army to strike Russian territory with British missiles.
The Kremlin called what is happening an unprecedented round of escalation of tension that requires special attention and measures. According to presidential spokesman Dmitriy Peskov, the Europeans see that the situation is changing rapidly and is fraught with a complete collapse for Ukraine, so they deliberately escalate the situation.