Ukraine gets green light to use US long-range missiles: What’s next?
Al Jazeera
Biden authorises Ukraine to use ATACMS inside Russia, angering Moscow, which accuses Washington of escalating the conflict.
United States President Joe Biden has reportedly lifted restrictions on Kyiv on the use of long-range missiles, which means Ukrainian forces may fire American-made missiles inside Russian territory for the first time.
The move, which comes weeks before Biden leaves office and hours after massive Russian missile and drone attacks, has angered the Kremlin, which accused Washington of “throwing oil on the fire”.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the decision would mean Washington’s direct involvement in the conflict, echoing a similar sentiment expressed by President Vladimir Putin in September.
The White House and President-elect Donald Trump have not commented yet, but Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr, said: “The military industrial complex seems to want to make sure they get World War III going before my father has a chance to create peace and save lives.”
The elder Trump, who takes office on January 20, repeatedly pledged during his campaign to negotiate an end to the Ukraine war.
