Washington has given authorization to Ukraine to strike Russian territory with long-range missiles supplied by the United States, an American official told AFP this Sunday. The United States “has given the green light to the use of long-range missiles,” said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity.
War in Ukraine: our live
-
2 In reaction to the North Korean deployment
The missiles should initially be used in the Russian border region of Kursk, where North Korean soldiers have been deployed in support of Russian troops, according to the New York Times, which cites American officials speaking on condition of anonymity. . Washington's decision came in reaction to this deployment of North Korean soldiers, according to these officials. And was announced following one of the most significant Russian attacks in recent months on the already very fragile Ukrainian energy network. These strikes left nine dead and around twenty injured across the country, according to the authorities.
-
3 A long-standing request from kyiv
President Joe Biden thus accedes to a long-standing request from kyiv. Ukraine has repeatedly asked its Western allies for authorization to strike Russian territory in depth with long-range missiles. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has for months called for permission to use British Storm Shadow missiles and American ATACMS missiles to hit targets further inside Russian territory. These weapons with a maximum range of several hundred kilometers would allow Ukraine to reach logistical sites of the Russian army and airfields from which its bombers take off.
-
4 Before that, the fear of an escalation
But several countries, including the United States, have until now refused to give such a green light, for fear of an escalation with Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin had warned that such a decision would mean that “the countries of NATO are at war with Russia. The American decision could push other allies to follow suit, notably the United Kingdom. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, whose country is the second largest supplier of military aid to Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion in February 2022, tirelessly refuses to provide the long-range Taurus missiles requested by kyiv.
“President Biden responded with language that Putin understands. […] The victim of an attack has the right to defend himself”
-
5 What reactions?
One of the first reactions to this authorization given by Washington to kyiv was that of Poland. It is “a language that (Russian President Vladimir) Putin understands,” the head of Polish diplomacy said this Sunday evening. “To the entry into war of North Korean troops and the massive Russian missile attack (Sunday morning, Editor's note), President (American Joe) Biden responded with language that V. Putin understands,” said Radoslaw Sikorski on X. According to the Polish minister, “the victim of an attack has the right to defend himself”.
-
6 In the background, the return of Trump
This decision by Biden comes shortly before his departure from the White House and the return of Donald Trump, very critical of American aid. In his campaign, the Republican was not sparing in criticizing the tens of billions of dollars released for Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion in February 2022. The president-elect, who will take office on January 20, promised to resolve this conflict “in 24 hours”, without ever explaining how. Ukraine fears a weakening of American support, at a time when its troops are in difficulty on the front, or that an agreement involving territorial concessions to Russia will be imposed on it.
-
7 Objective: acceleration of military aid
Outgoing President Joe Biden seeks to accelerate the delivery of military aid to kyiv and continues to put in place mechanisms for European allies to take over. NATO has already been entrusted with coordinating military aid to Ukraine, previously provided only by the Americans. Of the envelope voted in the spring by the American Congress, there remains approximately 9.2 billion dollars to be allocated, namely 7.1 billion to be drawn from American arms stocks and 2.1 billion to finance procurement contracts. arms purchase, according to the Pentagon.
