United States President Joe Biden is said to have approved Ukraine's use of Washington-provided long-range missiles to carry out strikes inside Russian territory, sources told The New York Times on Sunday.
Insiders revealed that the president's decision to allow Ukraine to use Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) was prompted by Russia's deployment of North Korean troops into combat. Its maximum firing range is estimated to be 300 kilometers, meaning that it cannot reach Moscow.
Namely, the weapons are expected to be used against Russian and North Korean forces in the Kursk region, Russia. The policy shift by President Biden comes just two months before he leaves the White House, with President-elect Donald Trump set to be sworn into the Oval Office in January. Russian President Vladimir Putin previously warned that Ukraine's use of Western-supplied long-range weapons against Russia would effectively mark NATO's direct involvement in the conflict.
