Biden allowing Ukraine to use long-range missiles against Russia is major shift, but it has limits

US President has only two months left in office and wants to put Kyiv in the best possible position before his term ends

US President Joe Biden with Ukrainian President Voldymyr Zelenskyy on a visit to Kyiv in February last year. Reuters

US President Joe Biden has reportedly given Ukraine approval to use long-range missiles against Russia in a major turning point in the nearly three-year war – but the policy has limits.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has for months been lobbying the Biden administration to allow him to use long-range US-made missiles to strike inside Russia, saying it was the only way his army could effectively fend off attacks.

Mr Biden had previously held off on authorising the use of Army Tactical Missile Systems, or Atacms, saying he wanted to avoid the possibility of direct conflict with Russia. Atacms can strike targets up to 300km away. Ukrainian forces have been using the US-provided weapons already, but only on targets in occupied areas of Ukraine.

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha called the Biden administration's decision a "game changer."

"The longer Ukraine can strike, the shorter the war will be," Mr Sybiha told reporters in New York, saying Kyiv had a "legitimate right" to strike inside Russia.

Ukrainian missile strikes on Russian territory could have their biggest impact in Kursk, where Kyiv is defending land captured during its first cross-border assault in August. The area could become a bargaining tool in negotiations after president-elect Donald Trump takes office.

With only two months left in office, Mr Biden's priority now is to do what he can to put Ukraine in the best possible position before making way for Mr Trump.

"The United States strongly supports Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity," Mr Biden said from Brazil, where he attending the Group of 20 summit. "Everyone around this table in my view should as well."

Mr Trump has expressed opposition to continued US military assistance to Ukraine. He has said he wants negotiations to swiftly end the war and that he may push Ukraine to agree to give up some territory seized by Russia.

The Biden administration has so far declined to publicly confirm the change in policy, and it is unclear if Mr Trump will reverse the decision when he takes office in January. US officials say Mr Biden's decision was spurred by North Korea sending thousands of troops to Russia's Kursk region before a possible posting to Ukraine.

“The fire was lit by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine,” deputy national security adviser Jon Finer said from Brazil. "We've been clear to the Russians that we would respond."

While Mr Trump has not commented on Mr Biden's reported decision, his allies and relatives have condemned the move. "The Military Industrial Complex seems to want to make sure they get World War 3 going before my father has a chance to create peace and save lives," Donald Trump Jr wrote on X. "Gotta lock in those $trillions. Life be damned."

The US ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, said that Washington will be announcing more security assistance for Kyiv in coming days as "ultimately, supporting Ukraine in Congress and beyond, it cannot be and should not be a partisan issue".

Russia, meanwhile, has accused the Biden administration of stoking tension. "It's obvious that the outgoing administration in Washington intends to take steps in order to continue fuelling the fire and provoke a further escalation of tensions," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists on Monday.

"If such a decision was really formulated and announced to the Kyiv regime, then of course it's a qualitatively new spiral of tensions and a qualitatively new situation from the point of view of the US's engagement in the conflict."

While some experts say the move could deter Russian and North Korean troops in the Kursk region from more action against Ukrainian troops, others questioned the logic behind such a decision.

"It's a reckless move on the part of the White House, and a surprising one, given the fact that [Mr Biden] has less than 60 days left in office," Sean McFate, a professor at Syracuse University, told The National.

"Once Trump assumes office, he's going to pick winners and losers for both Russia and Israel. And in the Ukraine case, he's going to stop all support for Ukraine and encourage and probably endorse a deal where it becomes a frozen conflict, but in Russia's favour."

Adla Massoud contributed to this report from the UN