Russian President Vladimir Putin has said such escalations would be an act of war
American President Joe Biden has authorized for the first time Ukraine’s military to use U.S.-provided long-range missiles on targets inside Russian territory, the New York Times reported Sunday, citing unnamed U.S. officials.
The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, has said in the past that such an escalation would constitute an act of war. He hasn’t yet reacted to Biden’s announcement Sunday.
The White House has not commented on the report.
The decision is a major U.S, policy shift and comes as Biden is about to leave office and President-elect Donald Trump has pledged to curtail American support for Ukraine and end the war as soon as possible.
Biden’s announcement came only hours after Russia concluded one of its largest missile and drone attacks in months, launching over 200 targeting Ukraine’s power and energy infrastructure.
Putin has previously said that giving Ukraine the green light on missile use would effectively mean that the U.S. and NATO are “in the war.”
“Flight assignments for these missile systems can, in fact, only be entered by military personnel from NATO countries. Ukrainian servicemen cannot do this. And therefore, it is not a question of allowing the Ukrainian regime to strike Russia with these weapons or not. It is a question of making a decision whether NATO countries directly participate in the military conflict or not,” Putin said in September.
“If this decision is made, it will mean nothing less than the direct participation of NATO countries, the United States, and European countries, in the war in Ukraine,” he added.
Trump’s transition team is expected to soon announce a peace envoy to broker negotiations between Ukraine and Russia. Trump argued during his campaign that he could solve the conflict before entering office.
Some advisers are reportedly encouraging Trump to push Kyiv to agree to terms that would freeze the front lines by creating an 1,200-kilometere-long demilitarized zone and allow Russia to keep the land it has illegally seized, about one-fifth of Ukraine’s territory.
There are suggestions that Kyiv should agree not to seek NATO membership for 20 years, which critics argue appeases Putin.
