Washington, 18 November 2024 — U.S. President Joe Biden has authorized Ukraine to utilize long-range missiles provided by the United States to target deep within Russian territory, easing previous restrictions on their use.
The decision follows reports of Russia deploying thousands of North Korean troops along Ukraine’s northern border, aiming to seize strategic stretches of territory.
This move comes as President-elect Donald Trump engages in talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Trump has expressed his intent to swiftly end the ongoing conflict and hinted at a potential shift in U.S. military support for Ukraine. “I will bring an end to this war as soon as I take office,” Trump has stated, casting uncertainty over the future of U.S. aid to Ukraine under his administration.
Zelenskyy, along with several Western allies, has been urging Biden for months to lift the ban on using Western-supplied missiles for strikes deeper into Russia. Ukrainian officials argue that this restriction has limited their ability to counter Russian attacks on cities and critical infrastructure, including electrical grids.
Russia had previously issued stark warnings, stating that permitting Ukraine to launch such attacks would escalate the conflict and potentially draw NATO directly into a war with a nuclear-armed Russia. President Putin also cautioned that Moscow might retaliate by supplying long-range weapons to allied nations, potentially targeting Western interests.
Trump, set to take office in January 2025, has repeatedly stresses his plans to resolve the Russia-Ukraine war quickly, positioning himself as a mediator capable of negotiating a peace deal.
However, his comments have raised concerns over whether he would continue Biden’s policy of military support for Ukraine, a key factor in the ongoing conflict.
