Biden Authorizes Ukraine to Use US-Supplied Long-Range Missiles Against Russia

MANAUS, Brazil – President Joe Biden has authorized Ukraine to use US-supplied long-range ballistic missiles to strike deep inside Russia, easing arms restrictions as Russia sends thousands of troops to North Korea to bolster its military, according to a US official and three sources. some people are not familiar with this issue.

The decision allowing Kyiv to use the Army Tactical Missile System, or ATACMs, in long-range attacks inside Russia comes as President Vladimir Putin deployed North Korean troops to Ukraine's northern border to try to retake hundreds of kilometers of territory seized by Ukrainian forces. .

Biden's move follows the victory of Donald Trump in the presidential election, who has said he will immediately end the war and expressed uncertainty about whether his administration will continue to support US troops in Ukraine.

Read more: What Trump's Victory Means for the World

The official and others with knowledge of the matter were not authorized to discuss the US decision publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's reaction on Sunday was largely restrained.

“Strikes are not done with words,” he said during a video call last night. “Such things are not announced. The arrows will speak for themselves.”

Zelensky and many of his Western allies have been pressing Biden for months to allow Ukraine to fire Western-supplied ballistic missiles inside Russia, saying the US embargo has made it difficult for Ukraine to try to stop Russian attacks on its cities and electricity. grids.

Zelensky's statement came shortly after he sent a message of condolence on Telegram following a Russian attack on a nine-story building that killed at least eight people in the northern city of Sumy, 40 kilometers (24 miles) from the border with Russia.

Russia has also launched massive drone and missile attacks, described by officials as the largest in recent months, targeting energy infrastructure and killing civilians. The attack comes as fears grow about Moscow's plans to destroy Ukraine's electricity grid before winter.

“And this is the answer of everyone who tried to achieve something with Putin through talks, phone calls, hugs and appeasement,” Zelensky said.

The comments appeared to undermine German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who spoke on Friday with Putin in the first such phone call with the head of a major Western power in nearly two years.

Some supporters have argued that the limit and other US sanctions could cost Ukraine war. This debate has become a source of disagreement among Ukraine's NATO allies.

Biden has been vocal in his opposition, determined to hold the line against any escalation he feels would draw the US and other NATO members into direct conflict with a nuclear-armed Russia.

Putin has warned that Moscow could provide remote weapons to attack Western territories if NATO allies allow Ukraine to use the weapons to attack Russian territory.

News of Biden's decision followed meetings over the past two days with the leaders of South Korea, Japan and China. The addition of North Korean troops was the focus of the talks, which were held on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Peru.

Read more: How Asia Is Facing Trump's Second Term

Biden did not mention the decision during a stop in the Amazon jungle in Brazil on his way to the Group of 20 summit.

Asked about the decision, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told reporters that the UN's position is to “avoid a permanent collapse of the war in Ukraine.”

“We want peace, we want the right peace,” Guterres said on Sunday before the summit in Rio de Janeiro. He did not elaborate.

The long-range missiles may be used in response to North Korea's decision to support Putin's invasion of Ukraine, according to one of the people familiar with the development.

The total supply of ATACMS missiles is short, so US officials have in the past doubted whether they could give Ukraine enough to make a difference. Some supporters of Ukraine say that even a few long-term strikes inside Russia could force its military to change its deployment and use more of its resources.

North Korea has provided thousands of troops to Russia to help Moscow try to pull back from the Kursk enclave on the Ukrainian border that was seized this year. The introduction of North Korean troops into the war comes as Moscow sees a positive change in direction. Trump has indicated that he may push Ukraine to agree to give up some land seized by Russia to end the conflict.

An estimated 12,000 North Korean soldiers have been sent to Russia, according to US, South Korean and Ukrainian assessments. US and South Korean intelligence officials say North Korea has also supplied Russia with large quantities of weapons to replenish its dwindling arsenal.

Trump, who takes office in January, has spoken for months as a candidate about wanting an end to Russia's war in Ukraine, but has faced many questions about whether he wants the US ally Ukraine to win.

He also repeatedly criticized the Biden administration for giving Kyiv tens of billions of dollars in aid. His victory has Ukraine's international supporters worried that any quick settlement will benefit Putin.

The United States is Ukraine's most important military ally, providing more than $56.2 billion in security aid since Russian forces invaded in February 2022.

Worried about Russia's response, however, the Biden administration has repeatedly delayed providing certain advanced weapons that Ukraine wants, agreeing only under pressure from Kyiv, its supporters and consulting partners.

That included initially rejecting Zelensky's requests for advanced tanks, Patriot air defense systems and F-16 fighter jets, among other programs.

The White House agreed in May to allow Ukraine to use US-supplied weapons in limited strikes just across the border with Russia.

-Long, Miller, Knickmeyer and Lee reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Will Weissert in West Palm Beach, Florida, and Hanna Arhirova in Kyiv contributed to this report.