Amid Trump's growing frustration, Pentagon bars Ukraine from using US missiles to hit inside Russia: Report

As the Russia-Ukraine war continues to escalate, reports are emerging that US defence officials have blocked Ukraine from using US-supplied long-range missiles to strike within Russian territory. According to a Wall Street Journal report, this blockade has been in place since late spring and was seen as an effort by US President Donald Trump’s administration to get Russian President Vladimir Putin to the negotiation table.

The WSJ reported that the Pentagon has blocked Ukraine from using US-made Army Tactical Missile Systems, also known as ATACMS. Two US officials close to the matter told the American news outlet that on at least one occasion, Ukraine had sought to use ATACMS against Russian targets.

However, the Ukrainian side was denied following a “review mechanism” developed by Elbridge Colby, the Pentagon’s undersecretary for policy, that governs how US long-range weapons are used. It is pertinent to note that his review process also applies to European weapon system that uses American intelligence and components.

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Hence, the US also has the authority to review the use of the United Kingdom’s Storm Shadow cruise missile, as it relies on US targeting data.

Trump’s stance hasn’t changed on the matter

Even before coming to office in January, Trump told Time Magazine that the decision to allow Ukraine to use US weapons systems to attack targets inside Russia had been a mistake. “I disagree very vehemently with sending missiles hundreds of miles into Russia. Why are we doing that? We’re just escalating this war and making it worse. That should not have been allowed to be done,” he said.

The review system in place reportedly gives US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth the power of approval over the use of the Atacms, which have a range of nearly 190 miles (305km). It is important to note that Ukraine was previously given the authority to use the weapon system by former US President Joe Biden's administration.

At that time, Ukraine was seeking to use the missile system against targets inside Russia in November after North Korean troops entered the war. However, it remains unclear whether the US Department of Defence’s review system amounts to any formal policy change.

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According to the WSJ, the Pentagon blocked that Ukrainian ambition at a time when there was increasing control of munitions to Ukraine as US stocks are themselves depleted. In a statement to the American news outlet, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump “has been very clear that the war in Ukraine needs to end. There has been no change in military posture in Russia-Ukraine at this time.”

However, last week, during efforts broker talks between the Russian president and Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Trump said that Ukraine could not defeat Russia unless it could “play offence” in the war.

“It is very hard, if not impossible, to win a war without attacking an invader’s country,” Trump wrote on Thursday. “It’s like a great team in sports that has a fantastic defence, but is not allowed to play offence. There is no chance of winning.”

Last month, the Trump administration agreed to supply Ukraine with new weapon systems. However, the US’s agreement came with a condition that it would only send weapons if European nations paid for them.

While Trump has said that the US is “not looking” to provide longer-range weapons that could reach Moscow, US officials told the WSJ that the Trump administration has approved the sale of 3,350 Extended Range Attack Munition air-launched missiles, or Erams, which have a range of 280 miles (400km).