The White House is reportedly finalizing plans to allow Ukraine to strike deep inside Russian territory, according to The New York Times. The agreement would allow Kyiv to carry out such strikes, provided they do not use U.S.-supplied weapons.
The issue, which has long been debated in the administration, is coming to a head on Friday with the first official visit to the White House by Britain's new prime minister, Keir Starmer.
Britain has already signaled to the United States that it is eager to let Ukraine use its “Storm Shadow” long-range missiles to strike at Russian military targets far from the Ukrainian border. But it wants explicit permission from Mr. Biden in order to demonstrate a coordinated strategy with the United States and France, which makes a similar missile. American officials say Mr. Biden has not made a decision, but will hear from Mr. Starmer on Friday.
If the president approves, the move could help Ukraine hold the line after it seizes Russian territory, as it did during its surprise incursion into Russia's Kursk region. But Mr. Biden has hesitated to allow Ukraine to use American weapons in the same way, particularly after warnings from American intelligence agencies that Russia could respond by aiding Iran in targeting American forces in the Middle East.
On Thursday, White House officials insisted there was no imminent decision on the use of the American-made surface-to-surface Army Tactical Missile Systems — known as ATACMS. But Mr. Biden himself has signaled that a loosening of restrictions is coming. He was asked on Tuesday whether he was ready to grant the increasingly insistent requests from President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine.
“We are working that out right now,” Biden said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has previously warned that the use of long-range NATO weapons against Russia would constitute an act of war. He stated that such actions “would mean that NATO countries, the United States and European nations are at war with Russia.”
Putin also suggested that a shift of this magnitude would lead to a serious reassessment of Russia's response. “We will make the appropriate decisions based on the threats posed to us,” he said.
On Feb. 24, 2022, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, escalating a conflict that began with the 2014 annexation of Crimea and the war in eastern Ukraine. Russia aimed to capture Kyiv quickly, but Ukrainian resistance, bolstered by international aid, forced Russian troops to withdraw from the northern front by April 2022.
After its initial failure to capture Kyiv, Russia focused its efforts on eastern and southern Ukraine, occupying large parts of the Donbas region and other key areas. Ukraine launched several counteroffensives in 2022, reclaiming territory in the Kharkiv and Kherson regions.
The war has seen some of the most intense fighting in cities like Mariupol, Bakhmut and Soledar, with significant destruction to infrastructure and loss of civilian lives.
Western nations, particularly the U.S., EU and NATO members, provided extensive military and economic support to Ukraine. This included advanced weapons systems, financial aid and intelligence sharing. The U.S. alone has provided billions in military aid, including HIMARS rocket systems, air defense systems and armored vehicles.
The number of casualties in the ongoing fighting remains difficult to accurately measure. According to The Economist's estimate from July 2024, the Russian Armed Forces have suffered between 462,000 and 728,000 casualties, which includes those killed, wounded, missing or otherwise taken out of action.
In contrast, a U.S. government estimate from August 18, 2023, put Ukrainian military casualties at between 170,000 and 190,000. These figures underscore the heavy toll the war has taken on both sides, though the actual numbers may be even higher due to the fluid nature of the conflict.
Despite facing setbacks, Russia mobilized additional forces, including up to 300,000 reservists in 2022, and conducted widespread missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure.
Russia has faced economic sanctions and international isolation, but maintained domestic support for the war through state-controlled media and propaganda. Putin has portrayed the invasion to his nation of 145 million as a fight against NATO and the West, framing it as a defense of the Motherland's sovereignty.
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