For the first time, the US government is allowing Ukraine to use US missiles against targets on Russian territory. This decision initially affects the Kursk region occupied by Ukraine. A Russian counteroffensive is looming there. So far, Washington has only permitted the use of its weapons inside Ukraine. Is this a turning point in US politics? Security and defense expert Christian Mölling assesses the Biden government’s decision.
Christian Mölling
Security Analyst
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Dr. Christian Mölling is deputy director of the DGAP Research Institute and head of the Center for Security and Defense.
SRF News: The USA allows Ukraine to use US weapons on Russian territory. Is this a paradigm shift in US policy?
Christian Mölling: No, you certainly can’t say that. Especially since we currently don’t know how many rockets are still available. To make a decisive difference in the war, there would have to be a permanent opportunity for Ukraine to expand its military options or massively restrict Russia. Unfortunately, we are a long way from a paradigm shift.
Why does the US continue to remain cautious about using its weapons against Russia?
The old line was not to supply too powerful weapons for fear of the Russian reaction to it. Joe Biden in Washington and Olaf Scholz in Berlin have repeatedly expressed this fear, even if this has never been the case in the past. And Biden probably doesn’t want to expose himself to the accusation that he is inconsistent when it comes to his policy line shortly before the end of the election. Then he would have to explain why escalation is suddenly no longer so important.
The use of such systems in the south would help to relieve pressure on Ukraine.
How does this decision help Ukraine?
He helps a little. But: The decision is limited to the Kursk region. It doesn’t help in the south and other areas of the front where Ukraine is under massive pressure. The use of such systems would help to relieve pressure on Ukraine. But there is currently no release. Even if these existed, a small arsenal wouldn’t be of much use. But neither we nor Russia know how many systems are actually still available.
In order to really relieve Ukraine or strengthen it for negotiations, systems would have to be released for use in other areas, says the security expert.
imago images/RIA Novosti/Sputnik (10.06.2024)
Which weapon systems are we talking about specifically?
These are probably so-called ATACMS systems. The rockets are already in use, but their range was limited to around 80 kilometers. But they can now reach significantly further at 300 kilometers. This raises questions: How far may Russian forces have to withdraw? Which forces may be under attack? Having enough ammo actually makes a difference.
Dominik Brand conducted the interview.
Swiss
