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 Bidenjust under two months before the end of his term in the White House.
The system’s long-range US-made missiles Atacmsaccording to the New York Times, will initially be used against Russian and North Korean forces deployed to defend the Kursk regionin 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 comes a few hours after Moscow’s violent offensive on Ukraine: during the night and at dawn yesterday, Russian forces launched more than 200 missiles and drones against the Ukrainian energy network, killing seven people and forcing Kiev to announce nationwide electricity rationing starting today. Ukrenergo, the main Ukrainian energy supplier, has already made it known that they will be introduced blackouts and restrictions on consumption “in all regions”. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said some 120 missiles and 90 drones had been fired at Ukraine in a nationwide attack that Zelensky called the work of “Russian terrorists.”
According to Andrii Sybiha, Ukrainian Foreign Minister, «Russia has launched one of the largest air strikes» since the beginning 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 on Friday last phoned the Russian leader for the first time since December 2022. But perhaps also Trump himself.
For now the Kremlin is silentalthough 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 “harsh 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 lead to the harshest response from Russia, based on the threats that will be created for our country»Slutsky said.