U.S. President Joe Biden gave Ukraine permission to use American-supplied weapons to strike targets in Russia, but only near the Kharkiv region according to U.S. officials, the BBC reported on Friday. Washington, which provides the majority of Ukraine's weaponry, had resisted easing these restrictions over fears of escalation.

Salm told "Aktuaalne kaamera" the removal of restrictions is good news for Ukraine and its Allies, but not without risks.

"There was a reason why the Allies waited so long, and the wait is surely too long for us and the Ukrainians. But to think that if we have said so far that Russia has triggered no red line, that there is no red line at all, is also a little premature, even inadequate. It is certainly a very risky game, and also quite dangerous. But there is nothing to be done, war is dangerous and it will be even more dangerous if Ukraine loses this war. So there's nothing to do, let's take the risks and get on with it," the official said.

The permanent secretary said the West has given Ukraine additional weapons, not so it can launch a major counteroffensive, but because the situation on the frontline has worsened.

"The situation is that there are not enough guns, ammunition and the situation is that there is not enough to go around. It is a bit of a stopgap measure, but at the same time, it is consolidating political support all the time. The pattern so far has been that before anything gets better, it still has to be in the red again, before something new comes along," he said.

"There is a NATO summit coming up in the summer, and I do not think any prime minister or president can walk out of there with some kind of bluff, but there has to be a concrete talk about what will improve in Ukraine. There are big summits coming up in the European Union before the summer and I think the same question will be asked by all journalists there: what is getting better now in concrete terms, what are you doing in concrete terms? The answers have to be somehow measurable in millions of euros and thousands of missiles," the Ministry of Defense's top civil servant added.

Politico Europe on Friday reported the German government has given Ukraine permission to strike Russian territory with weapons provided by Berlin.

General: Restrictions allowed Russia to act without consequences

AK asked several other military experts for their views on Friday's program.

Brig. Gen. Andrus Merilo, incoming Estonian Defense Forces (EDF) commander-in-chief, said this is a long-awaited decision. The restrictions allowed Russia to act without consequences.

"In military terms, this restriction has been absurd all along. Now after this political announcement restriction will ease, but actually, it should come to the point where all restrictions are lifted," he said.

Col. Mart Vendla, deputy chief of operations at the EDF Headquarters, told AK it is only a matter of time before other restrictions are removed.

"In this direction [Kharkiv], Ukrainians will have the ability to influence and shape the battle in depth, rather than being confronted face-to-face with what is happening on the line of contact. This means the concentration of troops, the movement of troops, the provision of supplies, all this confusion, can change," he said.

Among other things, Ukraine will be allowed to use HIMARS multiple rocket launchers to hit Russia, but not longer-range ATACMS missile systems.

Vendla said Ukraine will be able to destroy command and control centers, ammunition warehouses and fuel depots.

Security expert Meelis Oidsalu believes economic considerations are behind the USA's policy change.

"Apparently, the situation in Kharkiv was also about to get so much worse that it was seen that it was better to take away this restriction, to take political risks there, so to speak, than to let the situation deteriorate to the point where more military aid would have to be given. That is Joe Biden's escalation calculator. All in all, what America wants is not to get involved in the war itself," OIdsalu commented.

He also believes easing restrictions is a strategic move by the U.S. to improve the situation on the military front before the NATO summit in Washington in July. If the situation worsens, then the U.S. administration would be under pressure to make new promises to Ukraine, which, Oidsalu believes, it does not want to do.

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