The United States has allowed Ukraine to use ATACMS missiles to launch attacks on Russian territory. It is reported by The New York Times with reference to American officials.
US President Joe Biden has for the first time authorized the use by Ukraine of long-range missiles supplied by the United States to launch strikes on Russian territory, US officials said.
According to the newspaper, initially ATACMS missiles can be used against Russian and North Korean troops in Kursk region. However, officials believe that Biden may allow the Ukrainian Armed Forces to use American weapons elsewhere.
"Biden's decision is a major change in US policy… According to officials, allowing the Ukrainians to use long-range missiles, known as Army tactical missile systems (ATACMS), was a response to Russia's unexpected decision to send North Korean troops into battle.… Although officials have said they do not expect this shift to fundamentally change the course of the war, one of the goals of the policy change, they say, is to send a signal to the North Koreans that their forces are vulnerable and that they should not send them anymore," the newspaper notes.
A number of US officials fear that Ukraine's use of missiles to strike deep into Russia could prompt Russian President Vladimir Putin to retaliate against the US and its coalition partners, but other officials believe that these fears are exaggerated, the newspaper writes.
According to her, the Ukrainian Armed Forces can use ATACMS missiles to attack clusters of Russian and North Korean troops, key military facilities, logistics hubs, ammunition depots and supply lines in the depths of Russia.
Note that the White House has not officially confirmed this information yet.