Biden approves Ukraine’s use of long-range missiles in RussiaSubscriber Exclusive

The president Biden authorized Ukrainian forces for the first time to use Western-made long-range weapons to attack inside their territory. Russia which would allow Kyiv better defend against Russia according to American officials.

This means that Ukraine could initially attack positions in the region of Kursk where Russia has gathered more than 50,000 soldiers, including some 10,000 soldiers from North Korea in an effort to reclaim territory. Ukrainian forces seized the territory earlier this year.

The introduction of thousands of North Korean troops to the battlefield and the long-awaited Kursk operation led to a change in Biden’s calculation said U.S. officials and others familiar with the deliberations. Biden made the decision before leaving Thursday for South America, one of his final foreign trips as president, one of the sources said. The decision was previously reported by the New York Times .

Relaxation of Ukraine’s use of the army’s tactical missile system (ATACMS ) This comes after Kyiv demanded for months to be allowed to attack inside Russia. . The restrictions gave Moscow the advantage in the war, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his top advisers have said publicly and privately.

But Biden administration officials have so far been reluctant to greenlight the attacks. fearing crossing a red line for Russia and triggering a wider conflict . Some U.S. officials were also concerned that USA did not have enough ATACMS in its own inventory to replenish what Ukraine would use.

Ukrainian forces use drones for some high seas strikes , but they thought ATACMS would be more effective . ATACMS, a surface-to-surface missile system fired from a mobile launcher, can attack from a distance between 160 and 300 kilometers according to the system model, far behind Russian lines.

Zelensky briefly commented on reports of lifting restrictions during his speech on Sunday afternoon, saying: “We do not attack with words. These things are not advertised. The missiles will speak for themselves “.

Some American and Western officials say that missiles probably won’t change much in the conflict since Russia can simply move most of its war hardware further away and has already done so in many cases.

According to George Barros, an analyst at the Institute for the Study of War who has mapped hundreds of military targets within range of ATACMS, allowing Ukraine to attack inside Kursk is an important step but it must extend beyond the region to have a significant effect.

“A gradual increase will not produce decisive effects ” Barros said. He added that kyiv would benefit greatly if it were allowed to attack a number of targets, such as brigade headquarters and logistics infrastructure over a large territory.

Sen. Roger Wicker (Mississippi), ranking Republican on the Armed Services Committee, said he was encouraged by reports of Biden’s decision before criticizing the president for not making the decision sooner .

This policy shift appears to be part of an effort by the Biden administration to give Ukraine what it can before January 20. . The move comes a week after the administration opted for the first time to allow U.S. defense contractors into Ukraine to help repair Western weapons and aircraft, including the American Patriot missile defense system and the F-16 fighter jet .

The administration is also working hard to secure more than $7 billion in weapons for Ukraine before Biden leaves office fearing that the new administration would reduce arms shipments to Ukraine.

Steven Cheung, communications director for the president-elect Donald Trump did not directly refer to the policy change. “As President Trump said during the campaign, he is the only person who can bring the two sides together to negotiate peace and work to end the war and end the killings. “, he said.

Trump and the vice president-elect are expected J.D. Vance Pushing for negotiations to end the conflict in Ukraine . European allies were initially reluctant to the idea of ​​peace talks, but the war’s continuing stalemate caused some leaders to change their minds about supporting a conflict without a clear outcome.

Last week, the german chancellor Olaf Scholz called Russian President Vladimir Putin the first known call between the autocrat and a Western leader in two years. It’s a sign that Putin’s international isolation may be coming to an end. . Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Zelensky criticized Scholz for the call.