These missiles 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.
The US-supplied ATACMS missiles are initially expected to 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 Timeswhich cites U.S. officials speaking on condition of anonymity.
Why this decision?
The decision by Washington to authorize Ukraine to use these missiles came in reaction to this deployment of North Korean troops, according to these officials. There are around 50,000 soldiers currently with Russian troops.
Even if American officials interviewed by the New York Times indicate that this green light, to use long-range missiles, will probably not change the course of the war, Joe Biden estimated that the message sent to North Korea outweighed the risk of escalation.
Moscow has not yet reacted, but Russian President Vladimir Putin had warned that such a decision would mean that NATO countries would be at war with Russia.
Allies
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 warned that such a decision would mean that “NATO countries are at war with Russia”.
The US 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.
Poland, Ukraine’s neighbor and one of its strongest supporters, welcomed the US decision.
“To the entry of North Korean troops into the war and the massive Russian missile attack, President Biden responded with language that Putin understands”estimated the head of Polish diplomacy, Radoslaw Sikorski, on X.
Because the American announcement comes on the same day as one of the most significant Russian attacks in recent months against Ukraine.
For John Hardy, of the American think tank Foundation for Defense of Democracies, “Allowing Ukraine to strike high-priority targets across Russia could put kyiv in a better position for potential negotiations”.
“Including by encouraging Moscow to accept a moratorium on strikes targeting critical energy infrastructure”added this researcher specializing in Russia.
“In one day”
In his campaign to return to the White House, Donald Trump was not shy in criticizing the tens of billions of dollars released by Washington for Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion.
The president-elect regularly asserted during the campaign that he could end the war “in one day”even before taking office on January 20, 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.
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.
