US President Joe Biden, who will leave the White House in January, has authorized Ukraine to use US-supplied long-range missiles against targets on Russian territory, The New York Times (NYT) news website wrote on Sunday, citing US officials.
17.11.2024 19:31 , updated: 20:07
Photo: SITA/AP, Manuel Balce Ceneta
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at a meeting with US President Joe Biden in New York, September 2024
According to the NYT, the missiles will first be deployed against Russian and North Korean troops to defend Ukrainian troops in the Kursk region of western Russia.
The Reuters agency also came up with similar information shortly after, referring to its own sources. The White House refused to comment on the matter. The first Ukrainian strikes will probably be carried out by American ATACMS missiles, which have a range of about 300 kilometers, Reuters sources said.
According to Reuters sources, Ukraine plans to launch first strikes against Russia with long-range missiles in the coming days. However, the sources did not announce the details due to security concerns.
In August, the Ukrainian army surprisingly penetrated into the Russian Kursk region and occupied hundreds of square kilometers of Russian territory. According to the media, Kiev hoped, among other things, that with this offensive, it would force Moscow to relocate its troops from the east of Ukraine and thus slow down the Russian advance there.
The decision of the outgoing Biden administration comes roughly two months before the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump, who will take office on January 20 next year. For months, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been asking Biden for permission to use American weapons against Russian military targets far from the Ukrainian border.
At the same time, the decision comes after North Korean soldiers began to participate in the effort of Russian forces to regain control of the territory of the Russian Kursk region occupied by Ukrainian troops in August, which raised concerns in both Kyiv and Washington.
While some US officials have expressed doubts about whether the long-range missiles will change the course of the war, the current decision could put Kiev in a better negotiating position if ceasefire talks begin, Reuters wrote. According to NYT sources, Biden’s move is also intended to send a message to North Korea that its troops are in a vulnerable position in Russia and that it should not send more.
It is unclear whether Trump will revoke Biden’s current clearance when he takes office. However, Trump has long criticized the amount of American financial and military aid to Ukraine and claims that he will end the war quickly, although he did not specify how.
Biden began easing restrictions on the deployment of U.S. weapons on Russian soil after Russia launched a cross-border attack in May targeting Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city.
To help the Ukrainians defend Kharkiv, Biden authorized them to use HIMARS salvo rocket launchers, which have a range of about 80 kilometers, against Russian forces directly across the border. However, ATACMS did not allow them to use long-range missiles in this defense of Kharkiv, the NYT reported.
Source: spravy.pravda.sk
