Biden lifts ban on Ukraine using US arms to strike inside Russia By Reuters

Written by Mike Stone and Humeyra Pamuk

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Joe Biden’s administration has lifted restrictions that prevented Ukraine from using US-supplied weapons to strike deep into Russian territory, three sources familiar with the matter said, in a major shift in US policy on the Ukraine-Russia conflict. .

Ukraine plans to carry out its first long-range attack in the coming days, the sources said, without disclosing details due to security concerns.

The White House declined to comment.

The United States’ move, which comes just two months before President-elect Donald Trump takes office on January 20, comes after months of calls by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy for the Ukrainian military to use US weapons to strike Russian weapons from afar. from its border.

The change follows Russia’s deployment of ground troops to North Korea to support its forces, a development that has raised eyebrows in Washington and Kyiv.

The first deep strikes are likely to be carried out using ATACMS rockets, which have a range of up to 190 miles (306 km), according to the sources.

Although some US officials have expressed doubts that allowing long-range strikes will change the course of the war, the decision could help Ukraine at a time when Russian forces are gaining ground and possibly put Kyiv in a better negotiating position when and if talks to end the war do take place.

It is not clear whether Trump will reverse Biden’s decision if he takes office. Trump has long criticized the level of US financial and military aid to Ukraine and has vowed to end the war quickly, without explaining how.

Still, some Republicans in Congress have urged Biden to loosen the rules on how Ukraine can use US-provided weapons.

Russia has warned that it will see a move to loosen restrictions on the use of Ukrainian weapons as a major escalation.