- Biden authorises Ukraine to use US long-range missiles against Russia
- The first strikes are expected to use ATACMS missiles, which can reach targets 306 km away
- The news that France and the UK had permitted to attack Russia with long-range missiles was not good news
Biden authorises Ukraine to use US long-range missiles against Russia
US President Joe Biden has authorized Ukraine to use US-supplied long-range missiles to launch strikes on Russian territory, The New York Times reports.
According to US officials, these weapons will probably initially be used against Russian and North Korean forces in the Russian Kursk region.
Biden's decision marks a fundamental shift in US policy. The President's advisers are divided on the issue and the decision comes two months before Donald Trump, who has promised to limit support for Ukraine, takes office.
The authorization for the Ukrainians to use US missiles for strikes on Russian territory follows Russia's use of North Korean forces in its war against Ukraine.
"Reuters reports that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has long asked the US for permission to strike Russian military facilities far from the border.
The first strikes are expected to use ATACMS missiles, which can reach targets 306 km away
Although some US officials believe that long-range missiles will not change the overall course of the war, they could help Ukraine at a time when Russian forces are taking more Ukrainian territory. It could also improve the situation in Kyiv if ceasefire negotiations start.
It is unclear whether Trump will reverse Biden's decision on the missiles when he officially becomes President on 20 January 2025. Trump has long criticized the US's heavy financial and military support to Ukraine. He promises to end the war quickly but does not explain how he would do so.
Some members of the Republican Party in Congress have previously called on Mr Biden to lift restrictions on the use of US arms supplied to Ukraine.
At the time, Russia warned that such a lifting of restrictions would mean an escalation of the war.
The news that France and the UK had permitted to attack Russia with long-range missiles was not good news
The UK and France authorize Ukraine to attack military targets on Russian territory with long-range Storm Shadow/SCALP missiles.
This is reported by the Unian news portal based on information from Le Figaro.
"Le Figaro writes that US President Joe Biden has authorized Ukraine to use US-transferred long-range missiles to launch strikes on Russian territory, following the same decision by London and Paris.
The United Kingdom (UK) and France have jointly developed long-range missiles, known as Storm Shadow in the UK and SCALP in France. The missiles transferred to Ukraine are capable of striking targets 250 km away.
Based on ELTA reports
