Biden authorizes Kiev to use long-range US missiles

United States President Joe Biden has authorized Ukraine for the first time to use American long-range missiles to defend its soldiers in the Russian Kursk region. The American media reported it.

Ukrainian forces will also be able to use US long-range missiles to strike Russian territory. The authorization, for the first time in the history of the conflict, comes directly from US President Joe Biden, just under two months after the end of his term in the White House. The missiles of long-range US manufacturing of the Atacms system, according to the New York Times, they will initially be used against Russian and North Korean forces deployed to defend the Kursk region in western Russia. The green light for the use of long-range missiles, also known as Army Tactical Missile Systems, has arrived in response to Moscow’s decision to involve North Korean soldiers in the conflict. A choice, again according to the NYT, which has divided Biden’s advisors and created many fears in the White House for the reaction expected from Vladimir Putin.

In recent days, Biden has seen himself “overtaken” by the initiatives of his successor, Donald Trump, who put pressure on Putin himself to put an end to the conflict, accepting the freezing of the current situation of the war. Trump had also argued that military support for Ukraine should be limited.

Washington’s green light came a few hours later Moscow’s violent offensive on Ukraine: Russian forces during the night and at dawn launched more than 200 missiles and drones against the Ukrainian energy network, killing seven people and forcing Kiev to announce nationwide electricity rationing starting tomorrow. Ukrenergo, the main Ukrainian energy supplier, has already made it known that blackouts and restrictions on consumption will be introduced “in all regions”.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said about 120 missiles and 90 drones were fired at Ukraine in a nationwide attack that Zelensky called the work of “Russian terrorists.”

According to Andrii Sybiha, Ukrainian Foreign Minister, “Russia launched one of the largest air strikes” since the start of the offensive, “drones and missiles against peaceful cities, sleeping civilians and critical infrastructure.” Sybiha added that the attack launched by Russia is Moscow’s “real response” to the leaders who have reopened a communication channel with the Kremlin in recent days: the words of the Ukrainian minister seem to refer to the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, who telephoned the Russian leader last Friday for the first time since December 2022. But perhaps also to Trump himself.

For now the Kremlin is silent, although a reaction to Biden’s decision is likely to arrive in the next few hours. According to Leonid Slutsky, head of the State Duma’s international affairs committee and leader of the Russian Liberal Democratic Party, a right-wing populist formation, the possible permission of the United States to launch ATACMS missile attacks on Russian territory will inevitably lead to an “escalation” and a “tough response” from Moscow.

“If the news is confirmed, it will mean only one thing: the direct participation of the United States in the conflict in Ukraine, which will inevitably entail the harshest response from Russia, based on the threats that will be created for our country,” he said. said Slutsky.

CNN’s analysis

Joe Biden’s green light for Ukraine to use US-made missiles on Russian territory they may not be decisive to change the course of the conflict. This is supported by an analysis published by CNN which interviewed several observers and analysts about it.
Is it too late for US-made tactical missile systems to make a difference if they hit targets deep in Russia?, asks the analysis published by the American broadcaster.

“The answer is complex and perhaps explains some of the Biden administration’s reluctance to grant authorization.” First, according to CNN analysis, Ukraine may have a limited stockpile of ATACMS. So, even if Kiev is able to strike deep into Russia (and the longest range of ATACMS is 100 km), it will not produce a sudden change on the battlefield. Ukraine will therefore not have enough ATACMS to change the course of the war. Secondly, Ukraine managed to penetrate deeper into Russia using domestically produced and cheaper drones. The United States helped finance the development of these deviceswhich appear to have caused havoc at Moscow’s airports and Russia’s energy infrastructure. Third, the authorization to use US precision missiles to strike deeper inside Russia is, apparently, “quite provocative.”

“It is true that Moscow is currently quite weak militarily and is unlikely to seek an all-out conflict with NATO or the United States. But at some point, the Kremlin will try to restore its deterrence. Moscow’s intelligence services have been accused of sabotage of civilian targets across Europe, including recent reports of explosive packages planted on courier planes within Europe,” the CNN analysis continues.

The White House is keen to underline that the sending of North Korean troops to the Kursk region contributed to Biden’s decision to authorize Kiev to use US missiles and that this is the US response to Moscow’s escalation. Western officials have stressed that North Korea’s military deployment represents an expansion of the conflict in Ukraine, which is becoming something in which U.S. adversaries in the Indo-Pacific now also play a role. This made the war more global for America. In Biden’s eyes, therefore, it is an escalation, in response to an escalation.

“President-elect Donald Trump may think he can talk peace, but he will inherit a war where the stakes just got significantly higher,” CNN concludes.