Ukraine strikes Russia: For the first time, the Ukrainian military has used US long-range ATACMS missiles to attack inside Russia after receiving approval from US President Joe Biden, according to RBC Ukraine.
This alleged attack took place two days after Biden approved the use of long-range US weapons for attacks inside Russia. After which the possibility of nuclear war has increased significantly, because after Biden’s approval, Russia has changed its rules regarding the use of nuclear bombs.
For months Biden had refused to allow Ukraine to carry out such strikes over concerns about escalating tensions, but after Russia sent more than 10,000 North Korean troops into the war, Biden has given Ukraine the go-ahead to use US ballistic missiles inside Russia, according to The Daily Telegraph.
The paper reported that Biden viewed North Korea’s deployment in Russia’s war against Ukraine as a situation that required permission to use such long-range missiles inside Russia.
A day earlier, Russian state news agency TASS reported that Russian lawmaker Vladimir Dzhabarov said allowing Ukraine to attack inside Russia with US-supplied missiles would unleash World War III. The lawmaker said the Russian response would be immediate.
Biden’s move comes as he prepares to leave office in two months, while presidential election winner Donald Trump will take office on January 20.
Trump and members of his incoming administration have indicated they are more skeptical about heavily supporting Ukraine in a war against Russia, and it is unclear whether Trump will reverse a decision to allow Ukraine to use U.S.-supplied weapons inside Russia.
The Republican leader has promised to end the war quickly, but he has not explained how he would do so.
Ukraine is expected to use US-made Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) rockets, which have a range of up to 190 miles (306 km), sources have told Reuters, and Kiev still enjoys a US-friendly administration that Zelenskyy has been pressing for months for permission to use the weapons against military targets inside Russian territory.
Pointing to reports by French newspaper Le Figaro that Britain and France would also allow Ukraine to use their long-range missiles against Russia, Al Jazeera diplomatic correspondent James Bays said “the aim of these Western countries is to support Ukraine, particularly in the Kursk region of Russia which Ukraine occupies”.