[Article publié le lundi 18 novembre 2024 à 9h50, mis à jour à 13h43] Does this measure herald a turning point in the war between kyiv and Moscow? Across the Atlantic, the decision marks a major shift in the Biden administration's policy. United States “gave the green light to the use of long-range missiles” by Ukraine, a U.S. official said Sunday, speaking on condition of anonymity. The democratic president thus accedes to a long-standing request from kyiv.
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For his part, Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed this announcement with caution. “Strikes are not carried out using words. Things like this are not announced,” he declared. Before adding: “The missiles will speak for themselves”recalling the importance of “long range capability” for his army. These devices have a maximum range of several hundred kilometers. This would allow Ukraine to reach Russian army logistics sites and airfields from which its bombers take off.
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These US-supplied ATACMS missiles are initially expected to be used in Russia's Kursk border region, according to the New York Timeswhich cites U.S. officials speaking on condition of anonymity. This area was not chosen by chance: it is there that North Korean soldiers were deployed in support of Russian troops. The United States and Ukraine indicated last week that there would already be around 10,000.
It is precisely in reaction to this deployment that Washington authorized kyiv to use long-range missiles, according to American officials. Several countries, including the United States itself, 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”.
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Russia threatens
Russia reacted to this announcement from the United States, believing that it is likely to “throw fuel on the fire”declared Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov.
If it were to be officially confirmed by Washington, this authorization would lead to “a fundamentally new situation in terms of the involvement of the United States in this conflict”, he warned again.
Because according to him, who quotes Vladimir Putin, strikes on Russian territory would not be “not carried out by Ukraine, but by the countries which give authorization”. “The coordinates of the targets are not provided by the Ukrainian military, but by specialists from these Western countries. This radically changes the nature of their involvement”he repeated.
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A Russian MP earlier in the morning downplayed the scope of this authorization. “This will not change the course of the operation, absolutely nothing,” Andrei Kartapolov, chairman of the defense committee of the lower house of parliament, told the Russian public agency Ria Novosti. “We will continue to fulfill our missions as we have always done”he assured. “This factor will of course be taken into account, but the objectives set by” Vladimir Putin in Ukraine “will be achieved”he continued.
The Russian parliamentarian explained that to counter these missiles, it would be necessary “prevent planes from taking off”. “We are actively focusing on this task, intensively targeting airfield infrastructure. This is a priority, because if a plane does not take off, the missile will not be launched,” he pointed out.
Another Russian parliamentarian was much more virulent following this decision by the United States. “This is an unprecedented move. This is a very important step towards the start of the Third World War, and the Americans will do it under the leadership of a departing old man, who will no longer be responsible for anything in two months.”castigated Vladimir Jabarov, member of the international affairs committee of the upper house. And to warn: “Russia’s response will be immediate.”
Snowball effect among allies?
The US decision could push other allies of Ukraine to follow suit, notably the United Kingdom. Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was in any case in favor of it. “Our French and British governments must say today that we are giving permission to use the (French long-range missiles) Scalp (…) and the (equivalent British missiles) Storm Shadow (…) against the bases Russians in Russian territory”, he said this Monday, speaking in French on France Inter radio. “It had to be done 18 months ago”he added.
On the French side, Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot reaffirmed this Monday that this remained “an option”. “You heard President (Emmanuel) Macron in Meseberg (Germany) on May 25, where we openly said that it was an option that we were taking into consideration, if it was necessary to authorize strikes on targets from which the Russians attack Ukrainian territory »he said. “So, nothing new under the sun”, he cut short.
Poland, Ukraine's neighbor and one of its strongest supporters, welcomed the American initiative. “To the entry of North Korean troops into the war and the massive Russian missile attack, President Biden responded with language that Putin understands,” said the head of Polish diplomacy, Radoslaw Sikorski, on X.
However, not all allies should follow the United States. Notably Germany, the second country providing military aid to Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion. Chancellor Olaf Scholz refuses to supply the long-range Taurus missiles requested by kyiv.
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Ditto on the Italian side. Weapons supplied to Ukraine by Rome “can only be used within Ukrainian territory”, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani recalled this Monday. “Our position on the use of weapons by Ukraine does not change”he reaffirmed on the sidelines of a meeting of heads of EU diplomacy in Brussels.
China also reacted this Monday by demanding a “rapid ceasefire and a political solution”. Beijing presents itself as a neutral country regarding the war in Ukraine but remains a major economic and political ally of Moscow – it has never condemned the Russian offensive. “The most urgent thing is to encourage an appeasement of the situation as quickly as possible,” commented Lin Jian, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at a regular press conference.
Potential negotiations
The US announcement came as Ukraine suffered airstrikes on Sunday. “Massive combined attack targeted all regions of Ukraine” and targeted “our energy infrastructure”, denounced Volodymyr Zelensky. The Ukrainian president reported 120 missiles fired and 90 drones launched during the night from Saturday to Sunday.
The Russian Defense Ministry has confirmed that critical energy infrastructure has been hit. This is the tenth major attack since the start of the year against this type of infrastructure, said the Ukrainian network manager, Ukrenergo. As a result, electricity consumption will be restricted on Monday in all Ukrainian regions.
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In this context, “Allowing Ukraine to strike high-priority targets across Russia could put kyiv in a better position for potential negotiations”estimates John Hardy, of the American think tank Foundation for Defense of Democracies. “Including by encouraging Moscow to accept a moratorium on strikes targeting critical energy infrastructure,” added this researcher specializing in Russia.
(With AFP)
