Mr. Biden’s decision appears to mark the first time that an American president has authorized limited military attacks on artillery, missile bases and command centers inside the borders of a nuclear-armed adversary.
White House officials insisted, however, that the authorization extended only to what they characterized as acts of self-defense, so that Ukraine could protect Kharkiv, its second-largest city, and the surrounding areas in the northeast from relentless fire from missiles, glide bombs and artillery shells from just over the border.
But The New York Times revealed last week that Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken had come back from a sobering trip to Kyiv and privately told the president that his 27-month-long ban against shooting American weapons into Russian territory was now placing parts of Ukraine in peril.
So had American allies: Britain weeks ago allowed Ukraine to use its Storm Shadow long-range missile systems for attacks anywhere in Russia, and France and Germany recently took the same position.
Mr. Biden deflected those requests for months, concerned that using American weapons could escalate the conflict — and put the United States into a direct confrontation with Russia.
The permission from Mr. Biden is intended solely for Ukraine to strike military sites in Russia being used to attack the Kharkiv area, U.S. officials said.
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