On Sunday, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that “missiles will speak for themselves” after reports emerged that U.S. President Joe Biden had authorized Ukraine to strike deeper into Russian territory.
Ukraine has consistently requested more assistance from the United States throughout its ongoing war, and many of these requests have been granted.
For months, Ukraine has urged Washington to allow it to conduct attacks inside Russia using U.S. weapons, but the Biden administration has been cautious, fearing it could escalate the war, which has now lasted nearly 1,000 days.
However, reports on Sunday confirmed that Biden had given Zelensky permission to use long-range Army Tactical Missile Systems to target Russian locations. Zelensky responded by saying, “Today, there’s a lot of talk in the media about us receiving permission for respective actions. But strikes are not carried out with words. Such things are not announced. Missiles will speak for themselves. They certainly will,” in his nightly address.
The authorization comes amid reports that North Korean troops have been deployed to Russia to assist in the war.
Last week, the U.S. State Department stated that around 10,000 North Korean soldiers had been sent to eastern Russia, particularly to Kursk Oblast, an area recently captured by Ukrainian forces.
With Biden’s approval, Ukraine is expected to target both Russian and North Korean forces in defense of its positions in Kursk, and possibly beyond, according to officials.
This shift in U.S. policy marks a change in the approach to supporting Ukraine, as the U.S. had previously denied requests for weapons like Patriot missiles, Abrams tanks, and F-16 fighter jets, only to later approve them.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned of the potential use of nuclear weapons in response to Ukraine’s long-range strikes, further raising the stakes in the conflict.
