German foreign minister: U.S. decision on Ukraine military support is ‘important’

BERLIN (Reuters) – The United States has taken an important decision in terms of its military support for Ukraine, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said on Monday, while stressing that this was not a shift in strategy by the West.

President Joe Biden’s administration has allowed Ukraine to use U.S.-made weapons to strike deep into Russia, two U.S. officials and a source familiar with the decision said on Sunday.

“The decision from the American side, and I would like to emphasise that this is not a rethink but an intensification of what has already been delivered by other partners, is so important at this moment,” Baerbock said in Brussels ahead of a meeting of EU foreign ministers.

Germany’s top diplomat also issued a warning to supporters of Russian President Vladimir Putin, and said the European Union was preparing new sanctions against Iran as well as looking at the issue of Chinese drone support.

(Reporting by Rachel More; editing by Matthias Williams)