Russian strike kills eight in northeastern Ukraine

A Russian missile strike killed eight people, including a child, in Ukraine’s northeastern city of Sumy on Sunday, the regional prosecutor’s office said, after the country suffered a massive attack overnight previous.

Ten other residents were injured in an attack that damaged at least ten multi-story buildings in a residential area, the office said.

Zelensky, speaking about reports of long-range strikes, says the missiles speak for themselves

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday that “the missiles speak for themselves” and “such things are not announced”, after reports that Washington had authorized kyiv to carry out deeper strikes into Russia with American-made missiles.

Two US officials and a source close to the decision revealed earlier Sunday the significant shift in Washington’s policy in the Ukraine-Russia conflict.

US authorizing long-range strikes from Ukraine will get a response, Russian lawmaker quoted as saying

Washington’s decision to let Ukraine strike deep into Russia with long-range U.S. missiles could lead to a Third World War and will be responded to quickly, Vladimir Dzhabarov, first deputy chairman of the U.S. International Affairs Committee, said on Sunday. the Russian Upper House, according to the TASS news agency.

Two US officials and a source close to the decision revealed on Sunday a significant reversal in Washington’s policy in the Ukraine-Russia conflict.

Long-range missiles against Russia are ‘a language Putin understands,’ says Warsaw

Poland on Sunday welcomed the announcement that US President Joe Biden had authorized Ukraine to use long-range missiles against military targets in Russia, something kyiv had been demanding for months.

“With North Korean troops entering the war and (Sunday’s) massive Russian missile attack, President Biden responded in language that (Russian President) V. Putin understands,” the foreign minister said. Foreign Affairs Radoslaw Sikorski on X.

“The victim of an attack has the right to defend themselves,” Sikorski added in his message. “Strength deters, weakness provokes.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has long sought permission from Washington to use the military’s powerful tactical missile system, known by its initials ATACMS, to strike targets in Russia.

Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that approval would mean NATO was “at war” with his country – a threat he previously made when Ukraine’s Western supporters stepped up military assistance to kyiv.

EU chief denounces ‘horrible’ Russian attack on Ukraine

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen on Sunday called Russia’s massive missile and drone attack on Ukraine “horrible” and said kyiv “can count” on help from the bloc.

“We witnessed last night Russia’s horrific attacks on Ukraine, destroying civilian energy infrastructure and costing an incredible number of lives,” she told Brazilian newspaper Globo News in an interview upon her arrival in Rio de Janeiro on the eve of a G20 Summit.

“We will stand by Ukraine for as long as it takes. We support Ukraine this winter, especially with regard to energy infrastructure,” she said. “Ukraine can count on us.”

Biden authorizes Ukraine’s use of US-supplied long-range missiles in Russia for the first time

President Joe Biden has for the first time authorized Ukraine’s use of long-range U.S.-supplied missiles to strike inside Russia, according to people familiar with the matter.

The move is a major shift in U.S. policy and comes as Biden is set to leave office and President-elect Donald Trump has pledged to limit U.S. support for Ukraine and end the war as quickly as possible.

The weapons will likely be used in response to North Korea’s decision to send thousands of troops to Russia to support Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, one of the sources said.

The people were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.