US President Joe Biden has authorized Ukraine to use long-range missiles provided by the U.S. to target Russian territories, according to US officials. This decision represents a significant shift in Washington’s policy, which had previously denied Kyiv’s requests for permission to deploy the ATACMS missiles beyond its own territory for several months. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky gave an ambiguous, yet a chilling confirmation while responding to the report of such a confirmation from the white house.

“Such things are not announced, missiles speak for themselves”.

Volodymyr Zelensky, President, Ukraine

The ATACMS missiles, which have a range of up to 300 km (186 miles), have been approved for use by Ukraine against Russia by President Joe Biden. The Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) is a conventional surface-to-surface artillery weapon system capable of striking targets well beyond the range of existing Army cannons, rockets and other missiles. ATACMS missiles are fired from the HIMARS and MLRS M270 platforms.

This decision has most probably been made in response to Russia permitting North Korean soldiers to join the conflict in Ukraine.

“A significant Russian escalation that involves the deployment of a foreign country’s forces on its own territory. The United States has been clear that we would respond to that. We’ve been clear to the Russians that we would respond to that”

Deputy National Security adviser Jon Finer, U.S.

What is a ATACMS Missile?

ATACMS is a long-range, guided missile that gives battle planners the rapid firepower to impact the battlefield. Each ATACMS missile is loaded in a MLRS launcher and fired from the MLRS family of launchers.

• Improved guidance package with Global Positioning System
• Carries a WDU18, 500-lb class blast fragmentation warhead
• Maximum range is 300 km

This decision by President Biden is expected to be followed with similar approvals from the U.K. & France. Such a step will authorize Ukraine to use U.K. made Storm Shadow Missile inside Russian territory. As per reports, Russia has unleashed one more phase of deadly attack on Ukraine on last Saturday, which continued till evening of Sunday, with more than 100 Missiles & drones, killing 10 Ukrainians and damaged properties.

Joe Biden, set to depart the White House in January, has been working to accelerate additional aid to Ukraine, before he departs from the white house. There are concerns that Donald Trump, Joe Biden’s successor, might reduce or retract further military support. Trump has criticized the military aid as a burden on US resources and has indicated he will end the war, though he has not detailed how he plans to achieve this.

“It is obvious that the outgoing administration in Washington intends to take steps, and they have been talking about this, to continue adding fuel to the fire and provoking further escalation of tensions around this conflict,”

Dmitry Peskov, Spokesman, Russian Government

Implications:

With the U.S. greenlighting Ukraine’s use of long-range weapons like ATACMS or Storm Shadow missiles, Ukraine stands to gain a strategic edge by targeting airfields, ammunition depots, and other critical assets deep within Russian territory. This could bring the war’s visuals closer to home for Russia, forcing a recalibration of its military strategies. However, the availability of these long-range missiles in sufficient quantities remains a crucial factor in Ukraine’s battle plans.

This decision also risks escalating the conflict, as Russia is likely to retaliate with even more dangerous weapons. Such developments could increase pressure on NATO and the incoming Trump administration, which will take office in January 2025, to respond to the heightened tensions and narrow scope for peace.