President Biden Allows Ukraine To Use US Weapons To Attack Russian Territory

President Biden received President Zelensky's visit to the White House. (Source: President.gov.ua)

JAKARTA - President Joe Biden's administration has allowed Ukraine to use US-made weapons to attack Russian territory, two US officials and a source familiar with the decision on Sunday, in a significant reversal of Washington's policy in the Ukraine-Russian conflict.

Ukraine plans to carry out its first long-range strike in the coming days, the source said, without disclosing details due to operational security concerns.

Langkah tersebut dilakukan dua bulan sebelum Presiden terpilih Donald Trump menjabat pada tanggal 20 Januari dan mengikuti permohonan selama berbulan-bulan oleh Presiden Ukraina Volodymyr Zelenskiy untuk mengizinkan militer Ukraina menggunakan senjata AS untuk menyerang target militer Rusia yang jauh dari perbatasannya.

Ukraine's first deep attack is likely to be carried out using ATACMS rockets, which have a range of up to 190 miles (306 km), according to the source.

Meanwhile, some US officials have expressed skepticism that allowing long-range attacks would change the course of war as a whole, the decision could help Ukraine by a time when Russian forces make a profit and possibly put Kyiv in a better negotiating position when and if ceasefire talks take place.

The changes took large part in response to Russia's deployment of North Korean ground forces to complement its own forces, developments that raised concerns in Washington and Kyiv, a US official and a source familiar with the decision said.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his evening address the missile would "talk for itself."

"Today, many media have said that we have received permission to take appropriate action," he said.

"However, attacks were not carried out in words. Such things were not announced," he added.

Meanwhile, the White House and the US State Department declined to comment.

Likewise, there has been no immediate response from the Kremlin, which has warned that it will see steps to ease restrictions on the use of US weapons by Ukraine as a major escalation.

Separately, Vladimir Dzhabarov, the first deputy head of Russia's upper house international affairs committee, said Washington's decision to allow Kyiv to strike deep into Russia could lead to a "Third World War".

"The West has decided at an escalation level in such a way that it could end with Ukraine completely destroyed in the morning," Andrei Klishas, senior member of the Federation Council, Russia's upper house of parliament, told the messaging app Telegram.

It is unclear whether Trump will overturn Biden's decision during his tenure. Trump himself has long criticized the scale of US financial and military aids to Ukraine and has pledged to end the war quickly, without explaining how.

A Trump spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment. But one of Trump's closest foreign policy advisers, Richard Grenell, criticized the decision.

"Improve the war before he leaves office," Grenell said, in a post on X responding to the news.

It is known, since Trump's victory on November 5, senior officials of President Biden's Administration have repeatedly said that they will use the remaining time to ensure Ukraine can fight effectively next year or negotiate peace with Russia from a "strong position".