CNN
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Two U.S. officials familiar with the decision said President Joe Biden has threatened to use powerful long-range U.S. weapons inside Russia against Ukraine as North Korean troops deploy to support Russian military efforts. allowed to do so.
The decision comes as the Kremlin deploys nearly 50,000 troops to Kursk in southern Russia, where Kiev launched a surprise counterattack in the summer, in preparation for retaking territory.
U.S. officials say the weapons will be used primarily in Kursk for now. Russia, with its vast military strength, is trying to take Kursk off the table as a potential bargaining chip with Ukraine in future peace talks, but the United States does not want to do that. The idea is to allow Ukraine to hold Kursk for as long as possible, the official said.
Thousands of North Korean troops have been deployed to Kursk as part of the Russian offensive, and Biden and his advisers have raised concerns that their entry could lead to a dangerous new phase of the war. is causing it.
The decision to allow the use of the Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) in Russia had been under consideration for several months. U.S. officials were divided over whether to accept the new capabilities. Some feared an escalation of war, while others worried about dwindling weapon stockpiles.
The United States even refused to provide ATACMS to Ukraine during the first two years of the war, in part due to readiness concerns due to the time and complex parts required to build the powerful missile. This is because there was. But Biden secretly approved the transfer of long-range ATACMS missiles for use inside Ukrainian territory in February, and the U.S. handed over the missiles in April.
Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskiy had been pressuring Washington to allow the weapon to be used on Russian soil, saying the country needed the ability to add momentum to the war effort.
When Mr. Biden and Mr. Zelensky last met at the White House in September, the Ukrainian leader came armed with a detailed list of targets inside Russia that he wanted to hit with long-range missiles provided by the United States, according to sources familiar with the talks. He said he came.
This list was an important part of President Zelensky’s “victory plan” to win the war. Mr. Biden has been barring Ukraine’s military from deploying missile systems aimed at deep strikes against Russia for nearly three years since the start of the war, but he has not completely ignored the request, the sources said. . However, he ultimately remained steadfast and the leaders agreed to continue discussing the issue.
President Zelenskyy reacted to the news on Sunday, saying on Telegram that “the missile will speak for itself.”
“There’s a lot of talk in the media today about how we’ve gotten permission to do what we do. Hits aren’t made with words. You don’t need an announcement for something like that. Missiles make their own.” “I’ll tell you,” he said.
President Vladimir Putin warned the West in September that Russia could use nuclear weapons if it was attacked with conventional missiles and that Moscow would consider any attack by nuclear-armed states a joint attack. The declaration was the Kremlin’s response to U.S. and British deliberations at the time over whether to give Ukraine permission to fire Western conventional missiles at Russia.
For months, U.S. officials have been explaining at length why changing policy won’t make much of a difference. Chief among them was the limited supply of ATACMS that Kyiv received from the Biden administration, and the long lead times required to manufacture advanced missiles meant that stockpiles were finite. , could not be refilled immediately. U.S. officials also claimed that Ukraine has a burgeoning drone industry capable of producing unidirectional attack drones with longer ranges than ATACMS.
The approximately 200-mile range of U.S. long-range missiles was not enough to cause significant damage to one of its most important targets. Russian aircraft fired powerful long-range glide bombs, destroying targets in Ukraine. One U.S. official estimated that 90% of these aircraft were out of ATACMS range as Russia moved its primary targets away from the front lines.
The Biden administration has rejected Ukraine’s request for a change in its position on long-range missiles, but it has rejected many other ostensibly strict weapons established in nearly three years of war, including Patriot missiles, Abrams tanks and F-16 fighter jets. As with policy, so with white government. The house eventually relented
Will the administration use the $7.1 billion remaining in Presidential Drawdown Authority to provide more ATACMS to Ukraine? Will the military be able to pull inventory directly from U.S. inventories and send it to Kiev? It is unclear whether it would apply only to the relatively small number of missiles sent. It still exists in Ukraine.
The United States and its allies have been working to ensure that Ukraine has what it needs until the end of 2025 as a means of providing U.S. security assistance “against President Trump.” President-elect Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed that the Ukraine-Russia war would not have broken out if he had been commander in chief.
Referring to the incoming Trump administration, Zelenskiy said on Friday: “The policies of this team that will now lead the White House will bring wars to an end more quickly.” President Trump said he could resolve the war in one day, but he did not say how.
Trump’s transition spokesman on Sunday declined to address reports that Biden had authorized Ukraine to use long-range U.S. missiles inside Russia.
“As President Trump said on the campaign trail, he is the only person who can bring the two sides together for peace talks and work toward ending the war and stopping the killings,” said Stephen Chan, President Trump’s communications director. ” said in a statement. CNN.
Zhang did not respond to questions about whether President Trump or the next national security adviser received advance warning from the Biden administration of decisions that could have significant implications for the war between Ukraine and Russia. There wasn’t.
Biden’s approval comes as the US State Department said on Tuesday that 10,000 North Korean soldiers had been sent to Russia and “began combat operations with Russian forces” in the Kursk region, where Ukraine’s three-month military invasion has stalled. This was done in response to the announcement.
A Ukrainian commander previously told CNN that North Korean troops are a “vital resource” for Russia’s war against Ukraine, and that even if they are deployed defensively, they would free up Russian troops for offensive operations elsewhere. He said that he would eventually use it directly in combat.
This story has been updated with additional information.
CNN’s Jack Forrest, Victoria Butenko, Katie Beau Lillis, Kylie Atwood, Helen Regan, Gowon Bae and Steve Contorno contributed to this report.
