The outgoing president says Ukraine can use long-range missiles against Russia, as Trump pledges to end the war and Republicans push to cut off aid
President Joe Biden has authorized Ukraine to use guided long-range American missiles to attack Russia, two senior U.S. officials told The Washington Post on Sunday.
Officials said that the decision, a reversal of current U.S. policy, was made after thousands of North Korean troops were deployed to Kursk in southern Russia in October in order to try to help Russia take territory back from Ukraine — a major escalation. The Biden administration, one official said, is partly hoping to discourage North Korea from sending more soldiers to aid Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine.
Biden administration officials have been split on allowing the use of powerful Army Tactical Missile Systems, or ATACMS. According to The New York Times, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has consistently lobbied for permission to use long-range missiles to strike deep into Russia. An ATACMS’ maximum range is 300 km, or 186 miles.
Some in the Biden administration have opposed giving Ukraine permission to use long-range missiles out of concern it could cause Russia to respond with force. A U.S. intelligence assessment found giving Ukraine such capacity was unlikely to help change the direction of the war and could prompt Russia to attack U.S. military bases, the Times has reported,.
The move could further intensify the bloody conflict just two months before Biden hands over the reins to Donald Trump. The president-elect has repeatedly, vaguely promised that his administration would end the war “in 24 hours,” even if Ukraine has to give land back to Russia.
“They’re dying, Russians and Ukrainians. I want them to stop dying. And I’ll have that done. I’ll have that done in 24 hours,” Trump said last year. Republicans in Congress, meanwhile, have soured on sending more aid to Ukraine.
“President Biden has committed to making sure that every dollar we have at our disposal will be pushed out the door between now and Jan. 20,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said last week as he met with European leaders to discuss Ukraine strategy.
