WASHINGTON, July 8. /TASS/. The United States has not lifted restrictions on the use of American weapons for strikes into Russian territory, US National Security Council (NSC) Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby told a briefing.

"No change in our policy. The president several weeks ago gave guidance to Ukraine that they can use US-supplied weapons to strike targets just over the border. That's still the case," he said.

On May 31, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that President Joe Biden had given Ukraine the go-ahead to use US-supplied weapons for strikes inside Russia. According to him, they could only be used to attack Russian regions bordering Kharkov. However, Blinken didn't rule out the possibility of expanding the range in the future.

On the same day, the German cabinet of ministers announced that German weapons may be used to shield the Kharkov Region from Russian attacks. At the current time, Western countries are divided on restrictions in the use of weapons they supply to Ukraine.

On May 28, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that when speaking about strikes inside Russia, representatives of NATO countries, "should be aware of what they are playing with." According to Putin, Russia is closely monitoring such a discussion.

On May 31, Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev also said that all long-range weapons shipped to Ukraine are "being directly controlled by NATO servicemen," adding that such actions could necessitate retaliatory strikes.