US officials say President Biden has authorised Ukraine to use American-supplied long-range missiles for strikes deep inside Russian territory.
Washington had previously restricted use of its ATACMS missiles to targets in Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory, citing concerns over potential escalation of the conflict.
The major policy reversal comes two months before Biden transfers power to president-elect Donald Trump, amid uncertainty over future US support for Kyiv.
Ukrainian forces have employed the Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS), manufactured by Lockheed Martin, against Russian targets in occupied Ukrainian territory for over a year. The ballistic missiles have a range of up to 300km.
Sources say the policy change follows recent deployment of North Korean troops supporting Russia in the Kursk border region, where Ukraine has held territory since August.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has not explicitly confirmed the move, but said on Sunday: “Strikes are not made with words … The missiles will speak for themselves”.
Military analysts told the BBC Ukraine may initially target the Kursk region, where Ukrainian forces control more than 1,000 sq km. However, a Western diplomat in Kyiv, speaking on condition of anonymity, downplayed the likely impact.
“I don’t think it will be decisive”, the diplomat told the BBC. “However, it’s an overdue symbolic decision to raise the stakes and demonstrate military support to Ukraine”.
The authorisation could also pave the way for Britain and France to permit Ukraine’s use of their Storm Shadow missiles inside Russia, the BBC writes.
The Kremlin has previously warned against Western weapons being used to strike Russian territory. President Vladimir Putin said in September such actions would constitute “direct participation” by NATO countries in the conflict.
President-elect Trump has not indicated whether he would maintain the policy. His son, Donald Trump Jr, criticised the move on social media, whilst some incoming administration officials oppose further military aid to Ukraine. (ıncyprus)
