United States President Joe Biden on Sunday approved Ukraine’s use of long-range missiles to attack Russian territory. Authorizing these US weapons to be used in the conflict sparked by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine represents a sea change in Biden’s foreign policy, just two months before he leaves office.
For the moment, neither the White House nor the Pentagon have confirmed it, nor has the Ukrainian government of Volodymyr Zelensky. The decision was announced this Sunday by the newspaper ‘The New York Times’, as well as by the Reuters agency, citing anonymous US government sources.
According to members of the Biden administration consulted, the missiles are intended for attacks against Russian and North Korean troops to defend the Ukrainian army in the Kursk region. The Democratic president had already committed to Zelensky to accelerate aid to his government before the end of his term, whether or not there is a new Democratic presidency.
The Times and Reuters also say that Biden’s decision was precipitated by reports of the North Korean military supporting Russia in this conflict and that it would try to dissuade Pyongyang from sending more troops. However, they add that the Democratic president has also lifted restrictions on Ukraine’s use of Pentagon weapons since Russia attacked the Kharkiv region last May.
Concretely, the Ukrainian army could until now use American missiles with a range of around 80 kilometers, while it will now be able to reach 300 kilometers. Ukraine is also receiving this aid shortly after knowing the outcome of the US election, with Trump winning and unwilling to provide aid to the Zelensky government for its defense against Russia.
Trump reiterated, both on the campaign trail and after winning the election, that his intention was to end the war in Ukraine, although he did not specify how. One of his first calls after his victory on November 5 had Zelensky as the interlocutor. The Republican leader has not said whether he favors kyiv making concessions to Moscow to secure a peace deal and has so far criticized all U.S. aid to Ukraine.
