US allows Ukraine to use long-range missiles in Russia

Washington has given Ukraine permission to strike Russian territory with long-range missiles supplied by the United States, a US official told AFP on Sunday, a major strategic shift just weeks before Donald Trump took office.

The United States “has given the green light to use long-range missiles,” said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Democratic President Joe Biden thus accedes to a long-standing request from kyiv shortly before his departure from the White House and the return of Republican Donald Trump, who is very critical of American aid to Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky greeted this announcement with caution, simply noting that these weapons “will speak for themselves”.

Recalling in his evening address the importance of the “long-range capability” of his army, he noted that “today many media outlets report that we have received authorization to take appropriate measures.”

“But strikes are not conducted with the help of words. Things like this are not announced,” Volodymyr Zelensky continued. “The missiles will speak for themselves.”

These missiles with a maximum range of several hundred kilometers would allow Ukraine to reach logistics sites of the Russian army and airfields from which its bombers take off.

The U.S.-supplied ATACMS missiles are initially expected to be used in Russia's Kursk border region, where North Korean troops have been deployed to support Russian troops, according to the New York Times, citing U.S. officials speaking on condition of anonymity.

Washington's decision to allow Ukraine to use the missiles came in response to the North Korean military deployment, the officials said.

– Allies –

Several countries, including the United States, had previously refused to give such a green light, fearing an escalation with Moscow.

Russian President Vladimir Putin had warned that such a move would mean that “the countries of NATO are at war with Russia.”

The US decision could push other allies to follow suit, notably the United Kingdom.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, whose country has been the second largest provider of military aid to Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion in February 2022, has tirelessly refused to provide the Taurus long-range missiles demanded by kyiv.

Poland, Ukraine's neighbor and one of its staunchest supporters, welcomed the United States' decision.

“To the entry of North Korean troops into the war and the massive Russian missile attack, President Biden responded with language that V. Putin understands,” Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said on X.

Because the American announcement comes on the same day as one of the most significant Russian attacks in recent months against Ukraine.

For John Hardy, of the American think tank Foundation for Defense of Democracies, “allowing Ukraine to strike high-priority targets through Russia could put kyiv in a better position for potential negotiations.”

“Including by encouraging Moscow to agree to a moratorium on strikes targeting critical energy infrastructure,” added this researcher specializing in Russia.

– “In one day” –

In his campaign to return to the White House, Donald Trump has been not shy about criticizing the tens of billions of dollars released by Washington for Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion.

The president-elect regularly claimed during the campaign that he could end the war “in one day”, even before taking office on January 20, without ever explaining how.

Ukraine fears a weakening of American support, at a time when its troops are in difficulty on the front, or that an agreement involving territorial concessions to Russia will be imposed on it.

Outgoing President Joe Biden is seeking to accelerate the delivery of military aid to kyiv and continues to put in place mechanisms so that European allies can take over.

NATO has already been entrusted with the coordination of military aid to Ukraine, which had previously been provided by the Americans.

Of the envelope voted in the spring by the American Congress, there remains approximately 9.2 billion dollars to be allocated, namely 7.1 billion to be drawn from American arms stocks and 2.1 billion to finance arms purchase contracts, according to the Pentagon.

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