President Joe Biden has authorized Ukraine to use U.S. long-range guided missiles to attack Russia, two senior U.S. officials said Washington Post Sunday.
The officials said the decision, a reversal of current U.S. policy, was made after the deployment of thousands of North Korean troops to Kursk in southern Russia in October in order to try to help Russia retake territory from Ukraine – a major escalation. The Biden administration hopes in part to dissuade North Korea from sending more troops to help Russian President Vladimir Putin in his war in Ukraine, one of the officials said.
Biden administration officials were divided on whether to authorize the use of advanced tactical air defense missile systems, or ATACMS. According to New York TimesUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has consistently lobbied to allow the use of long-range missiles to strike deep into Russia. The maximum range of ATACMS is 300 kilometers, or 186 miles.
Some in the Biden administration opposed giving Ukraine permission to use long-range missiles for fear that it would prompt Russia to respond with force. A U.S. intelligence assessment concluded that granting Ukraine such a capability would be unlikely to help turn the tide of the war and could prompt Russia to attack U.S. military bases. Times And he did.
The move could intensify the bloody conflict just two months before Biden hands over the reins to Donald Trump. The president-elect has repeatedly and vaguely promised that his administration will end the war “within 24 hours,” even if Ukraine is forced to return territory to Russia.
“They are dying, the Russians and the Ukrainians. I want them to stop dying. And I will do it. Trump said last year: “I’ll do it in 24 hours.” Republicans in Congress, meanwhile, have expressed outrage about sending more aid to Ukraine.
“President Biden has committed to making sure that every dollar we have at our disposal will be out the door between now and January 20,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said last week when he met with European leaders to discuss Ukraine strategy.