President Joe Biden has for the first time authorised Ukraine’s use of US-supplied long-range missiles to strike deep inside Russia, according to three sources familiar with the matter.
The decision is a major US policy shift and comes as Biden is about to leave office and President-elect Donald Trump has pledged to limit American support for Ukraine and end the war as soon as possible.
Ukraine plans to conduct its first long-range attacks in the coming days, the sources said, without revealing details due to operational security concerns.
The first deep strikes are reportedly likely to be carried out using ATACMS rockets, which have a range of up to 190 miles.
While some US officials have expressed skepticism that allowing long-range strikes will change the war’s overall trajectory, the decision could help Ukraine at a moment when Russian forces are making gains and possibly put Kyiv in a better negotiating position when and if ceasefire talks happen.
It is not clear if Trump will reverse Biden’s decision when he takes office. Trump has long criticized the scale of US financial and military aid to Ukraine and has vowed to end the war quickly, without explaining how.
Still, some congressional Republicans have urged Biden to loosen the rules on how Ukraine can use US-provided weapons.
Russia has warned that it would see a move to loosen the limits on Ukraine’s use of US weapons as a major escalation.
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