BAN OVER
Ukraine CAN fire crucial long-range missiles into Russia as Biden lifts ban in last act after Vlad unleashes air attack
The move also marks a major US policy shift as Biden is just weeks away from leaving office
PRESIDENT Joe Biden has authorised the use of American long-range missiles by Ukraine to strike deep inside Russia, insiders have said.
The decision comes after Vladimir Putin launched "one of the largest" air attacks of the Ukraine war so far with 120 missiles and 90 drones.
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After months of impasse, President Biden was last night said to have given Ukraine his blessing with just two months left in the White House.
Until now, Biden had been against any escalation that he believed would lead the United States and other NATO members into direct confrontation with Russia.
But the US leader may have changed his mind after North Korea sent thousands of troops to Russia to assist Moscow in reclaiming territory in the Kursk border region that Ukraine had taken this year.
The first deep strikes are likely to be carried out using the US' ATACMS rockets, which have a range of up to 190 miles.
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Keir Starmer has previously stated that he would support approving the use of the Storm Shadow missiles, and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron echoed this statement.
This could potentially mean that France will soon permit Ukraine to launch the long-range missiles it has been provided with into Russia.
It comes after deadly overnight strikes by Russia on Saturday targeted "sleeping civilians" and energy infrastructure - with Poland scrambling its fighter jets.
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President Volodymyr Zelenskyy blasted Putin's assault as a massive combined strike on "all regions" of the war-torn country - causing multiple blackouts.
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Biden's latest move now marks a major US policy shift as he is about to leave office and President-elect Donald Trump has pledged to limit American support for Ukraine and end the war as soon as possible.
One of Trump's closest foreign policy advisers, Richard Grenell, criticised the decision on X.
Responding to the news, he wrote: "Escalating the wars before he leaves office."
The US weapons are likely to be used in response to North Korea's decision to send thousands of troops to Russia in support of Putin's invasion of Ukraine, three sources familiar with the matter said.
Biden hopes that this response will "send a message" to Kim Jong Un not to send any more of his men, according to the insiders.
The sources were not authorised to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
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Ukraine plans to conduct its first long-range attacks in the coming days, the sources said, without revealing details due to operational security concerns.
As winter approaches, Ukrainian authorities fear Vlad is aiming to wipe out key power networks to cripple the economy and break the spirits of the brave civilians.
The Russian tyrant has also amassed 40,000 of his soldiers and 10,000 North Koreans as he plots to attack Kursk in just days.
In an evening address today, President Zelenskyy said that strikes are "not carried out with words" and that "missiles will speak for themselves".
He stated that the "victory plan" he submitted to partners included "key points" such as long-range capabilities for the Ukrainian army.
The Ukrainian leader said: "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 response to Russia's nighttime onslaught, Mr Zelenskyy stated that today marked "one of the largest and most dangerous Russian attacks in the entire war".
He said: "And this is the answer to all those who wanted to achieve something with Putin through conversations, phone calls, hugs - appeasement.
"Today, this 'dove of peace' sent us yet another barrage of kinzhal and kalibr missiles. That's his diplomacy. His language is treachery."
Time should be invested "not in talking to someone in Moscow, but in really forcing Russia to end the war", Zelenskyy added.
America's ban lift marks a major escalation in the war and is "significant in terms of the end game", according to a former senior NATO official.
Nicholas Williams said the move was important when it came to "positioning Ukraine to not make the significant concessions which Russia wants in order to get peace".
He told : "It is significant.
"The Ukrainians may say it's too little too late but it's not too late to affect the end game."
Williams added that the choice was crucial for "positioning Ukraine to not make the significant concessions which Russia wants in order to get peace."
America's ban lift could now see Sir Keir Starmer also let Volodymyr Zelenskyy use UK Storm Shadow rockets to hit targets.
Vladimir Putin previously said any such decision would drag NATO into direct conflict with Russia.
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A Russian official has warned that Washington's plan to allow Ukraine to strike deep into Russia with long-range US missiles might spark a third world war, according to the TASS news agency.
Vladimir Dzhabarov, the first deputy head of the Russian upper house's international affairs committee, also stated that Joe Biden's rumoured move will be met with a rapid response.
President Zelenskyy has been pleading with allies to give him the thumbs up to use the Western-supplied weapons deep into Russian territory.
Sir Keir yesterday took a thinly-veiled swipe at the German Chancellor for phoning Vladimir Putin after Russia unleashed its deadliest missile attack in months.
The PM declared he had no plans to talk to the Russian leader despite Olaf Scholz defending his call as necessary.
Earlier this week, the German Chancellor spoke to Putin on what was the Russian leader's first publicly announced conversation with the sitting head of a major western power in nearly two years.
But speaking to reporters on his way to the G20 summit in Brazil, Sir Keir said: "It’s a matter for Chancellor Scholz who he speaks to.
"I have no plans to speak to Putin. We are coming up to the 1000th day of this conflict on Tuesday, that’s 1000 days of Russian aggression, and 1000 days of huge impact and sacrifice in relation to Ukrainian people.
"And recently we’ve seen the addition of North Korean troops working with the Russians, which does have serious implications."
The Prime Minister pledged that Ukraine was "top" of his agenda at this week's G20 summit of world leaders and told reporters that "there's got to be full support as long as it takes".
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Sir Keir continued: "I think on one hand it shows the desperation of Russia, bit it's got serious implications for European security [...] and for Indo-Pacific security and that's why I think we need to double down on shoring up our support for Ukraine and that's top of my agenda for the G20.
"There's got to be full support as long as it takes and that certainly is top of my agenda, shoring up that further support for Ukraine."
His remarks came as Ukraine was pounded by more than 210 missile and drones in a brutal overnight assault that left at least seven dead.
Sir Keir vowed to “shore up support" for Kyiv, making it his top priority at the summit.
The G20 in Rio comes as the planet’s richest nations are bracing for President-elect Donald Trump to shake up the global order - with fears he could force through a peace deal with Russia and scale back support.
Just days ago, a possible Trump plan to end the war emerged following a call with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy after his victory.
Trump's plan involves a demilitarised zone across the front line and a promise from Kyiv not to join NATO for 20 years, reports.
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In exchange, the US would continue to arm Ukraine to the teeth to prevent Putin from invading again.
But the US would not send troops to enforce the buffer zone nor finance the mission.
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