KYIV. The Kremlin has issued a stark warning following U.S. President Joe Biden’s decision to permit Ukraine to strike targets on Russian soil using U.S.-supplied longer-range missiles. The move, which Moscow described as adding “fuel to the fire,” raises fears of a broader escalation in the conflict as it nears the 1,000th day since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in 2022.
The change in U.S. policy allows Ukraine to utilize Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS), which can reach up to 300 kilometers (190 miles). This shift comes after months of reluctance from Washington to provide such weapons, citing concerns about provoking direct conflict with Russia or NATO involvement. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov criticized the decision, stating, “It is obvious that the outgoing administration in Washington intends to take steps… to continue adding fuel to the fire and provoking further escalation of tensions around this conflict.”
The announcement coincided with intensified Russian attacks in Ukraine. A ballistic missile carrying cluster munitions struck a residential area in Sumy, northern Ukraine, killing 11 people and injuring 84, according to Ukraine’s Interior Ministry. Another missile strike in Odesa ignited fires in apartment buildings, leaving at least 10 dead and 43 injured.
Ukrainian officials welcomed the new missile capabilities, with Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha asserting, “The longer Ukraine can strike, the shorter the war will be.” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy gave a restrained response, stating, “The missiles will speak for themselves.”
Russia’s U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia expressed outrage during a U.N. Security Council meeting, marking the 1,000th day of the war. “Moscow is astounded that the leaders of Britain and France are eager to play into the hands of the exiting administration and are dragging not just their countries but the entire Europe into large-scale escalation with drastic consequences,” he said.
The policy shift was reportedly prompted by reports of North Korean troops arriving in Russia to aid Moscow’s efforts to repel Ukrainian forces near the Kursk border region. A U.S. official, speaking anonymously, revealed that this development was a key factor in Biden’s decision, which came just before he departed for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Peru.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly warned of the consequences of such actions, stating that allowing Ukraine to target Russian territory with Western weapons would “dramatically change the nature of the conflict” and signal that NATO countries are directly at war with Russia. Putin has also hinted at retaliatory measures, including supplying weapons to other nations for potential use against Western targets.
Russian lawmakers and state media reacted with condemnation. Leonid Slutsky, a senior lawmaker, told Russian news agency RIA Novosti, “Biden, apparently, decided to end his presidential term and go down in history as ‘Bloody Joe.’” Meanwhile, Rossiyskaya Gazeta, a Russian state newspaper, warned, “The madmen who are drawing NATO into a direct conflict with our country may soon be in great pain.”
While some NATO allies supported the U.S. decision, others expressed concern about its implications. Polish President Andrzej Duda called the move “a breakthrough moment,” while Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico criticized it as “an unprecedented escalation.”
Military experts are divided on the potential impact of the ATACMS. Patrick Bury, a security analyst at the University of Bath, suggested that the missiles could slow down Russian offensives but were unlikely to alter the broader trajectory of the war. “The ultimate impact will probably slow down the tempo of the Russian offensives,” he said.
