President Volodymyr Zelensky on November 17 commented on recent reports that the United States had eased restrictions on long-range strikes in Russia, saying that “such things are not announced.”

The president made this statement shortly after the New York Times reported that the Biden administration authorized the use of U.S.-supplied ATACMS missiles across the border, including against Russian and North Korean forces accumulating in Russia Kursk Oblast.

This information has not been publicly confirmed by Washington or Kyiv.

“Today, there is a lot of talk in the media about obtaining authorization for our respective actions,” Zelensky said in his evening speech.

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

The move would be a major shift in US policy, with President Joe Biden long adamant about not allowing Western-supplied weapons to be used on Russian soil, fearing an escalation.

Biden first eased restrictions in May to allow Ukraine to use certain weapons like HIMARS to strike Russian troops just across the border, following the crisis. Kharkiv offensive. Restrictions on ATACMS, tactical ballistic missiles with a range of 300 kilometers (190 miles), remained in place at the time.

Ukraine will likely initially use these missiles against Russian and North Korean forces in the Kursk oblast, but Washington could also authorize their use elsewhere, writes the New York Times.

Unnamed U.S. officials, along with a source close to the decision, who spoke to Reuters following this decision, said that kyiv planned to carry out its first long-range strikes in the coming days.

As the decision was made during the final months of Biden’s term, it remains unclear whether President-elect Donald Trump will maintain this policy after returning to the White House in January 2025.

Biden authorizes Ukraine to target Russia with long-range US missiles, media report

The authorization is expected to initially apply to strikes against Russian and North Korean soldiers in the Kursk oblast, but could eventually expand to other areas, undisclosed official sources told the New York Times.