President Joe Biden officially authorized Ukraine to use U.S.-supplied long-range missiles Sunday for strikes inside Russia, according to multiple outlets.
For more than two years, the war between Ukraine and Russia has cost the United States billions in aid, as the Biden administration has sought to support Ukraine in its fight. In February, U.S. officials began considering sending the longer-range Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) to help Ukraine target Russian-occupied territory.
By September, funding for Ukraine became unlikely with the GOP majority Congress, leading Biden officials to, again, look for alternative choices which included loosening weapons restrictions and allowing Ukraine to strike inside of Russia, The Washington Post reported.
However, despite previously opposing the use of such missiles, U.S. officials reportedly confirmed to The New York Times that the weapons would be used against Russian and North Korean troops to help defend Ukrainian soldiers in the Kursk region of western Russia, the outlet reported.(RELATED: Trump, Elon Musk Reportedly Spoke To Zelenskyy About Future Support For Ukraine)
Volodymyr Zelensky, President of Ukraine, and U.S. President Joe Biden pose for photos on stage during an event with world leaders on September 25 in New York City. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
The shift in Biden’s position comes after North Korea sent an estimated 10,000 troops to Kursk in October to assist Moscow in retaking the region, which had been seized by Ukraine, according to The Washington Post. A U.S. official told the outlet that the decision to approve the weapons was partly aimed at deterring North Korea from sending additional troops, warning North Korean leader Kim Jong Un that the initial deployment of aid to Russia was a “costly” mistake, The Post reported.
Biden’s decision comes almost two weeks after President-elect Donald Trump won the 2024 election, campaigning on a platform focused on ending the foreign conflicts that began during the Biden administration. On Nov. 7, Trump warned Russian President Vladimir Putin during a phone call not to escalate the conflict with Ukraine, reportedly reminding him of the sizable U.S. military presence in Europe, according to The Washington Post.
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