kyiv demanded them, Washington finally granted its wish. Ukraine has received authorization to use long-range ATACMS missiles, supplied by the United States, to strike Russian territory, according to an American official cited on Sunday by AFP and three sources interviewed by Reuters. This is a major strategic change a few weeks before Donald Trump comes to power.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky mentioned this information during his daily address on Sunday evening, without confirming it directly. Recalling the importance of “long range capability” of his army, he noted that“Today, many media outlets are reporting that we have received authorization to take appropriate measures.” “But strikes are not carried out using words. Things like this are not announced,” a repris Volodymyr Zelensky. “The missiles will speak for themselves.”
So, what exactly do we know about these missiles, and what could be their impact on the war in Ukraine?
A range of 306 km
ATACMS missiles, for Army Tactical Missile Systemare pronounced “attack’ems” in English (a contraction for “attack them”), and are considered short-range ballistic missiles. According to the New York Times, they can hit targets about 190 miles, or 306 kilometers, away. They carry 226 kg of explosive charge according to their manufacturer Lockheed Martin.
Designed in the 1990s and first used in Iraq in 1991, ATACMS missiles had since ceased to be mass-produced, raising fears in the United States of a stock shortage in the event of over-shipment large number to a third country. According to a recent estimate from the specialist site Defense Express, Washington has 2,500 ATACMS, including 1,500 with a range of 300 kilometers.
But, according to the head of acquisitions of the American army, Doug Bush, cited by Politico, and «important name» missiles were ordered a few years ago. Increased activity in the production chain should now allow the United States to supply allied countries such as Ukraine without having an impact on American military capabilities, according to this official.
Ukraine was already using them
Washington delivered these ATACMS missiles to Ukraine for the first time in October 2023, but their range was still limited to 165 kilometers. Their new version, with almost doubled range, was used for the first time by the Ukrainian army in April 2024 according to the American agency Associated Press.
Their use was then limited to Ukrainian territory. Targets in Crimea, annexed in February 2014 by Russia, and in other occupied territories were targeted last April by Ukrainian forces.
The Kursk region as the first target
The use of these weapons would allow Ukraine to reach logistical sites of the Russian army and airfields from which its bombers take off.
The ATACMS missiles supplied by the United States 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 Times, which quotes US officials speaking on condition of anonymity. 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.
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, interviewed by AFP.
Allies divided on this issue
Several countries, including the United States, have until now refused to give such a green light, for fear of an escalation with Moscow. Washington's decision could push other allies to follow suit, notably the United Kingdom, which supplies Ukraine with its Storm Shadow missiles.
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,” said the head of Polish diplomacy, Radoslaw Sikorski, on the social network
Read also: “Sooner or later this will stop”: Ukrainians fighting despite a massive Russian strike
An escalation denounced by Russia
Moscow, for its part, denounced through Vladimir Djabarov, vice-president of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the upper house of Parliament, an escalation which could “lead to World War III”.
Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that such a decision would mean that “NATO countries are at war with Russia”.
Authorization granted before Trump's return
With this authorization granted to Ukraine, Democratic President Joe Biden thus accedes to a long-standing request from kyiv shortly before his departure from the White House and the return of Republican Donald Trump. It is not certain that the latter will reverse Joe Biden's decision when he takes office, even if the president-elect is very critical of the scale of American financial and military aid to Ukraine and is committed to ending the war “in 24 hours”, without explaining how.
The measure also benefits from the support of certain Republican elected officials in Congress, who have long called on President Biden to lift the restrictions imposed on Ukraine.
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.
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