Anonymous U.S. officials have said that President Joe Biden has authorized Ukraine to use long-range missiles provided by the United States to strike targets in the Russian region of Kursk, which is currently occupied by Ukraine in the ongoing war.
Ukrainian forces launched a significant cross-border operation into Russia’s region of Kursk earlier this year. Intense fighting is ongoing as Russian forces attempt to reclaim lost territory. Ukraine seized several settlements and is still holding strategic positions. In response, Russia has allowed 11,000 North Korean soldiers to amass in Kursk to aid its fight.
Last year, in response to North Korea supplying Russia with long-range ballistic missiles, the Biden administration already greenlighted the use of the long-range Army Tactical Missile System, or ATACMs—with a range of about 190 miles—by Ukraine for targets within its territories, including in Russian-occupied Crimea.
The latest decision to allow Ukraine to expand its use of U.S. missiles comes in Biden’s last two months in office, according to the unnamed officials who talked to The New York Times. The officials also claimed that while the missiles are intended to support Ukraine’s fight in Kursk, they believed that Biden could authorize their use elsewhere in Russia.
They said that they do not believe the permission to use the missiles will significantly change the outcome of the war.
The officials said that Biden decided to lift the restrictions for Kursk, in part, because he believes the United States needs a strong response to Russia employing the North Korean troops on its frontlines. The president was also concerned that Ukrainian forces could be overwhelmed without using the missiles, they said.
The officials and the others knowledgeable about the matter were not authorized to discuss the decision publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, The Associated Press reported on Nov. 17.
The White House declined The Epoch Times’ request for comment.
Rep. Marilyn Strickland (D-D.C.) told NTD, a sister outlet of The Epoch Times, in response to the report that the approval “was a policy that was necessary.”
“As always, we don’t want to escalate but Ukraine’s our partner. We have to stand with them. They have to be able to defend themselves,” she said.
According to the AP report, other officials said the decision does not have unanimous support in the U.S. government. President-elect Donald Trump has also said that once he is in office, his administration will seek to de-escalate, if not end, the war.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Sunday in response to the anonymous reports that, “Strikes are not made with words. Such things are not announced. The missiles will speak for themselves.”
Zelenskyy also told Ukrainian media on Friday that Kyiv hopes to end the war with Russia next year through “diplomatic means” once Trump is in office.
Zelenskyy has long been seeking permission to use long-range weapons inside Russian territories, and Biden had remained opposed. At the time, Biden said he felt allowing U.S. missiles to be used on Russian territories could draw the United States and other NATO members into direct conflict with nuclear-armed Russia.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that if NATO allies allow Ukraine to strike inside Russian territory, it would be considered the same as getting directly involved in the war, and that Moscow could provide long-range weapons to others to strike Western targets.
The United Kingdom and France had also supplied Ukraine with some Storm Shadow and SCALP missiles with a range of about 155 miles, and said they would follow U.S. restrictions on missile use despite their support for Zelenskyy’s requests to strike inside Russia.
In response to the reports, Donald Trump Jr. said on social media platform X, “The Military Industrial Complex seems to want to make sure they get World War 3 going before my father has a chance to create peace and save lives.”
America is Ukraine’s most valuable ally in the war, providing more than $56.2 billion in security assistance since Russian forces invaded in February 2022.
Worried about Russia’s response, however, the Biden administration repeatedly has delayed providing some advanced weapons sought by Ukraine, agreeing only under pressure from Kyiv, its supporters, and in consultation with allies.
That includes initially refusing Zelenskyy’s pleas for advanced tanks, Patriot air defense systems, and F-16 fighter jets, among other systems.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
From The Epoch Times