Biden allows Ukraine to use long-range US missiles to strike inside Russia

In a major policy shift, US President Joe Biden has approved Ukraine’s use of US-supplied long-range missiles for strikes deep into Russian territory, sources familiar with the matter said told Reuters.

The move by the United States two months before President-elect Donald Trump takes office on Jan. 20 follows months of requests by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to allow Ukraine’s military to use U.S. weapons to hit Russian military targets far from its border.

The missiles, known as Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS), are expected to target Russian and North Korean forces engaged in the defense of Ukrainian advances in Russia’s Kursk region, the officials stated.

Ukraine plans to conduct its first long-range attacks in the coming days, the sources said, without revealing details due to operational security concerns.

The weapons are likely to be used in response to North Korea’s decision to send thousands of troops to Russia in support of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, according to one of the people, reported by AP.

The first deep strikes are likely to be carried out using ATACMS rockets, which have a range of up to 190 miles (306 km), according to the sources.

While some U.S. officials have expressed skepticism that allowing long-range strikes will change the war’s overall trajectory, the decision could help Ukraine at a moment when Russian forces are making gains and possibly put Kyiv in a better negotiating position when and if ceasefire talks happen.

It is not clear if Trump will reverse Biden’s decision when he takes office. Trump has long criticized the scale of U.S. financial and military aid to Ukraine and has vowed to end the war quickly, without explaining how.

Still, some congressional Republicans have urged Biden to loosen the rules on how Ukraine can use U.S.-provided weapons.

Russia has warned that it would see a move to loosen the limits on Ukraine’s use of U.S. weapons as a major escalation.

With inputs from agencies.