A US Department of Defense official confirmed to TASS that the administration of US president Joe Biden allowed Ukraine to use US weapons against targets on the Russian soil during counter-battery warfare.

"The President recently directed his team to ensure that Ukraine is able to use US-supplied weapons for counter-fire purposes in the Kharkov region so Ukraine can hit back against Russian forces that are attacking them or preparing to attack them," the official said, answering to a question from TASS.

"Our policy with respect to prohibiting the use of ATACMS or long range strikes inside of Russia has not changed," he added.

The Politico newspaper reported on Thursday, citing four unnamed individuals including two US officials, that US President Joe Biden gave the Kiev government a secret permission to use US-supplied weaponry for attacking targets in the Russian territory. According to the report, the permission applies to Russian regions that border Ukraine’s northeastern region of Kharkov.