Biden Authorizes First Use of U.S. Long-Range Missiles by Ukraine for Strikes Inside Russia
President Joe Biden has authorized Ukraine to use U.S.-supplied long-range missiles to strike targets inside Russian territory for the first time, U.S. officials confirmed on Sunday. The decision marks a critical escalation in Western military support for Ukraine as it continues to defend itself against Russia’s ongoing invasion.
The authorization allows Ukraine to deploy Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS), a precision-guided missile with a range of up to 190 miles (300 kilometers), on targets within Russia. The move is a response to escalating threats from Russian and North Korean troops along Ukraine’s northern border, particularly in the Kursk region, where Ukrainian forces are facing a major offensive by an estimated 50,000 Russian soldiers, bolstered by more than 10,000 North Korean troops.
For months, the Biden administration had been hesitant to provide Ukraine with long-range weapons for strikes inside Russia, fearing that such a move could provoke a direct conflict with NATO. However, the arrival of North Korean soldiers in Russia, coupled with Russia’s increasing military pressure on Ukraine in the Kursk region, appears to have shifted U.S. thinking.
“The decision to authorize ATACMS use comes in response to the growing escalation from Moscow, particularly the involvement of North Korean forces in the war,” said a senior U.S. official, who requested anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the decision. “This is a defensive measure to help Ukraine protect its forces and hold key territory.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed cautious optimism, signaling that the real impact would be measured not in announcements but in military action. “Rockets speak for themselves,” he said, hinting that Ukraine would soon begin using the missiles on Russian and North Korean troop concentrations.
The primary focus of Ukraine’s initial missile strikes is expected to be the Russian and North Korean forces stationed in the Kursk region, where Ukrainian forces launched a surprise incursion in August, seizing a small but strategically significant swath of Russian territory. U.S. officials have noted that this area is a key flashpoint in the conflict, and Ukrainian forces have been stretched thin by simultaneous Russian offensives across multiple fronts.
The ATACMS missile system, which has been a focal point of Ukrainian requests for months, can target deep behind enemy lines, striking airfields, military infrastructure, and logistical hubs that are critical to Russia’s war effort. While the U.S. had previously restricted the use of long-range missiles to within Ukrainian territory, officials now believe that granting Ukraine the ability to strike inside Russia is necessary to slow the Russian assault and safeguard Ukrainian positions in Kursk.
The decision to authorize Ukraine’s use of ATACMS also comes in response to Russia’s increasingly internationalized war effort. Moscow has deployed North Korean troops to bolster its military presence in Ukraine, marking a dangerous expansion of the conflict. Washington views this as a significant development, as it not only complicates the military balance but also signals the growing global stakes of the war.
Russia has yet to formally comment on the U.S. decision, but senior Kremlin officials have previously warned that the use of long-range Western missiles on Russian territory would represent a serious escalation of the conflict. In the past, President Putin has described such actions as “direct participation” by NATO in the war.
