US President Joe Biden has given the green light for Ukraine to use long-range missiles supplied by US to strike Russia
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky acknowledged the media reports in a video statement. He did not confirm or deny whether the US gave approval but said, “the missiles will speak for themselves”
Earlier, Russia targeted energy infrastructure in a large-scale overnight attack across Ukraine, which also hit civilian buildings
At least 10 people were killed in the strikes
ATACMS rockets could escalate the war
In a major policy shift just weeks before he stands down, the US president signed off on the use of ATACMS rockets within the Kursk region.
Mr Biden’s decision will raise expectations that he is also set to drop his opposition to the use of British-made Storm Shadow missiles within Russia.
Donald Trump, the incoming president, has vowed to scale back support for Ukraine and has said he will push Kyiv to sue for peace with Moscow.
David Sacks, a close ally of Elon Musk and major donor to the Trump campaign, criticised the decision as anti-democratic.
“President Trump won a clear mandate to end the war in Ukraine. So what does Biden do in his final two months in office? Massively escalate it,” he wrote on X.
US officials told The New York Times that Mr Biden had changed his mind after North Korea sent troops to support Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
The decision comes after Volodymyr Zelensky spent months urging Britain, the US and France to allow him to use long-range missiles on Russian soil.
