US authorizes Ukraine to use long-range missiles inside Russia: Report

The move comes after President-elect Donald Trump won the presidential election, claimed he would end the Russia-Ukraine war in one day and raised the question if his administration would be as supportive of Ukraine as Biden’s, The Associated Press reported.

An official and others familiar with the matter told the AP about Biden’s authorization but were not able to discuss the decision publicly, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

Three sources, familiar with the matter, including two US officials, also told Reuters that Ukraine plans to carry out long-range attacks using the weapons in the coming days.

The White House has not commented on the reports, but Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the missiles would “speak for themselves”.

“Today, many in the media are saying that we have received permission to take appropriate actions,” Zelensky stated in his evening address to Ukrainians.

“But strikes are not made with words. Such things are not announced. The missiles will speak for themselves.”

The move by Biden comes as he prepares to leave office in two months, with Trump taking office on January 20.

Ukraine is expected to use US-made Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) rockets, which have a range of up to 190 miles (306km), the sources told Reuters, as Kyiv takes advantage of a still-friendly US administration.

Zelensky had been pressing for months for permission to use the weapons against targets deep inside Russian territory.

Moscow has previously warned that it would see any move by Washington to loosen restrictions on the use of US-supplied weapons as a major escalation.