U.S. officials, who have not been identified, have revealed to the New York Times and the Washington Post that President Biden has approved the use of ATACMS missiles by Ukraine in response to Russia's decision to allow North Korean soldiers to fight on its territory.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reacted to the news by confirming that Biden's decision will also allow Britain and France to grant Ukraine authorization to use long-range Storm Shadow missiles in Russia. Zelensky has been urging Biden for months to grant this permission.
The use of ATACMS missiles will be limited to the defense of Ukrainian forces in the Russian region of Kursk, where Kyiv launched a surprise incursion in August. Serhiy Kuzan, head of Ukraine's Center for Security and Cooperation, pointed out that this decision is crucial for the country and could balance the situation for its forces.
The United States has been the largest weapons supplier to Ukraine, and Biden's decision represents a significant shift in Washington's policy, which initially rejected Kyiv's requests. The Biden administration is supporting Ukraine's efforts to retain the Russian territory it currently occupies as a bargaining chip for possible future negotiations.
Russia has warned Western countries about the consequences of this permission, stating that it would imply direct NATO involvement in the Ukrainian conflict. So far, Russian President Vladimir Putin has not commented on recent events, but senior Kremlin officials have described them as a serious escalation.
In the context of the war in Ukraine, where Russian troops have advanced in the eastern region of Donetsk, the use of these missiles is seen as a measure to strengthen Ukrainian defenses at a critical moment in the conflict.
