For the first time since the start of the war, United States President Joseph Biden authorized Ukraine to use long-range American missiles for attacks inside Russia. The decision by the country, Ukraine’s main ally in the conflict, is a major change in the American approach to the war against dictator Vladimir Putin.
The information was published by the newspaper The New York Times. According to the vehicle, the measure divided the Biden administration’s advisors, just a few months before the end of the American president’s term, who will be replaced by Donald Trump on January 20th. The decision to use the US army’s tactical missile system may be a response to the Kremlin, which has relied on support from North Korean troops in the conflict in Eastern Europe.
According to the Timesthe Biden government’s idea is that the rocket system will assist the Ukrainian army in defending Kharkiv, the country’s second largest city, which has faced harsh Russian attacks since the beginning of the conflict. The missiles have a range of 80 kilometers. Another more effective system, with a range of more than 300 kilometers, was not authorized by Biden.
Sources inside the presidency admit that the measure should not change the course of the war, but they hope that the measure will “send a message” to the North Korean dictator, Kim Jong Un, that his forces are vulnerable and that aid to the Russians will not must be expanded.
On the other hand, some US military officers fear that Ukraine’s use of missiles will lead to more violent retaliation by Putin against the US and other NATO members.
Hours after the American press announced Biden’s decision, the president of Ukraine,
Volodymyr Zelensky stated that “the missiles will speak for themselves” at this point in the conflict. “The plan to strengthen Ukraine is the ‘Victory Plan’ that I am presenting to our partners. One of the key points is long-range missiles for our army,” Zelensky said in a video released to the Ukrainian people.