Three informed sources said that President Joe Biden’s administration will allow Ukraine to use weapons provided by the United States to strike deep into Russian territory, in an important change in Washington’s policy in the Ukrainian-Russian conflict.
The sources said that Ukraine is planning to launch its first long-range attacks in the coming days, without revealing details due to operational security concerns.
The White House declined to comment.
This step taken by the United States comes two months before President-elect Donald Trump takes office on January 20, and after months of requests by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to allow the Ukrainian army to use American weapons to strike Russian military targets far from its borders.
This change comes in the wake of Russia’s deployment of North Korean ground forces to supplement its forces, a development that has alarmed Washington and Kiev.
The first deep strikes will likely be carried out using ATACMS missiles, which have a range of up to 190 miles (306 km), according to the sources.
While some US officials have expressed doubts that allowing long-range strikes would change the overall course of the war, the decision could help Ukraine at a time when Russian forces are making gains and perhaps put Kiev in a better negotiating position when ceasefire talks take place.
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It is not clear whether Trump will reverse Biden’s decision when he takes office. Trump has long criticized the amount of US financial and military aid to Ukraine, and has pledged to quickly end the war, without explaining how to do so.
However, some Republicans in Congress have urged Biden to relax rules on how Ukraine can use weapons provided by the United States.
Russia warned that it would see a move to ease restrictions on Ukraine’s use of US weapons as a major escalation.
