Last update:November 18, 2024, 1:13 p.m. IST

Washington had refused to authorize missile strikes against Russia, fearing an escalation. But the policy reversal comes two months before Donald Trump, skeptical of American aid to Ukraine, takes over as president of the White House.

President Vladimir Putin said in September that the West would fight Russia directly if it allowed Ukraine to strike Russian territory with Western-made long-range missiles. (Reuters/Illustration by Shubhangi Sharma)

The outgoing Joe Biden administration authorized Ukraine to use US-made ATACMS missiles for limited strikes inside Russia. Such an escalation could lead to a Third World War, according to Russian lawmakers.

Washington had previously refused to authorize such strikes against Russia, fearing an escalation. But this policy reversal comes two months before Donald Trump, skeptical of American aid to Ukraine, enters the White House in January.

Trump’s team also suspects that the new US administration will allow Ukraine to use US-supplied weapons in Russia.

Trump repeatedly reiterated before taking over the presidency that he would end the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East during his second term.

What is Russia’s warning against Ukraine’s use of missiles?

“The West has decided on an escalation to such a level that by tomorrow morning it could lead to a complete ruin of the Ukrainian state,” said Andrei Klishas, ​​a prominent member of the Federation Council, the upper house of the Russian parliament, on the messaging application Telegram. as cited by Reuters.

Vladimir Djabarov, first deputy chairman of the Russian Upper House’s international affairs committee, said Moscow’s response would be immediate. This would be “a very big step towards the Third World War,” Dzhabarov was quoted as saying by the official TASS news agency.

Leonid Slutsky, chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the lower house of the Duma, said that kyiv’s US-sanctioned strikes against Russia with ATACMS missiles would bring the harshest response, news agencies reported. Russian press.

President Vladimir Putin said earlier in September that the West would fight Russia directly if it allowed Ukraine to strike Russian territory with long-range Western-made missiles, a move he said would change the nature and scope of the conflict.

Why did Biden make this decision?

President Biden has consistently opposed the use of U.S. weapons against Russia, fearing it could draw the United States and its NATO allies into direct confrontation with Russia.

But Biden relented, after momentum shifted to Russia. The current US decision signals to Ukraine that it will support its efforts to retain a small part of Russian territory, which could serve as a “bargaining chip” for possible negotiations in the future, according to a report of BBC.

Reports suggest that Biden’s decision will allow Britain and France to allow Ukraine to use long-range Storm Shadow missiles in Russia.

Neither the United Kingdom nor France reacted to Biden’s decision.

What does Trump think?

The president-elect has not said he will continue this policy, but some of his aides have already criticized financial and military aid to Ukraine.

Donald Trump Jr, Trump’s son, wrote on social media: “The military-industrial complex seems intent on making sure they start World War III before my father has the chance to create peace and save lives. »

Trump’s vice president-elect, JD Vance, said the United States should no longer provide military aid to Ukraine.

Many Ukrainian officials fear Trump will cut off arms supplies when he takes office as president in January.

What ATACMS can be used against Russia?

ATACMS (pronounced “attack them”) are manufactured by Lockheed Martin and are among the powerful ballistic missiles supplied to Ukraine.

With a warhead containing about 375 pounds of explosives, the missile can strike targets 190 miles away and fly much higher in the atmosphere than artillery rockets.

ATACMS can be fired from mobile HIMARS launchers supplied by the United States to Ukraine, as well as from older M270 launchers sent from Britain and Germany.

The ATACMS missile was developed in the 1980s to destroy high-value Soviet targets deep behind enemy lines, according to The New York Times.

The missiles will likely be used initially against Russian and North Korean troops to support Ukrainian forces in the Kursk region of western Russia, according to U.S. officials cited by the Times.

Why did the United States wait?

Since the start of the war in Ukraine in February 2022, President Volodymyr Zelensky has advocated for weapons capable of striking even deeper into Russian-controlled territory, and eventually into Russia.

The United States provided ATACMS to Ukraine last year but banned its use against Russia, fearing that Putin would respond with escalation. “We’re trying to avoid World War III,” Biden said.

Zelensky justified the need for such weapons because they would be crucial to Ukraine’s broader counter-offensive. He insisted he did not intend to use them against Russia or target civilians.

What could be the impact?

The missiles will help Ukraine strike targets in Russia, likely around the Kursk region, where the Ukrainian army holds more than 1,000 square kilometers of territory.

In return, Ukraine can expect a counter-offensive by Russian and North Korean troops to reconquer territory in Kursk.

Reports suggest that Russia has already moved its military equipment, such as jets, to airfields further inland in anticipation of such a move.

When did the United States use ATACMS in combat?

The US military fired 30 ATACMS in 1991 during Operation Desert Storm against Iraqi medium-range ballistic missile launchers and surface-to-air missile sites.

According to The New York Timesthe first generation ATACMS could travel approximately 100 miles and drop 950 bomblets.

During the 2003 invasion, the U.S. military also fired more than 400 bomb-carrying tactical missiles as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom.