US President Joe Biden has given Ukraine the green light to use long-range missiles supplied by the US to attack Russia.
This is a major change in US policy. For months, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had been asking that restrictions on these missiles be lifted, so Ukraine could strike back at Russian targets outside its own borders.
Zelensky welcomed the news with a simple statement: “Missiles speak for themselves.” But Russia’s President Vladimir Putin was quick to condemn the move. He warned that it would mean direct US involvement in the war in Ukraine.
US officials say the use of these missiles will be limited to defending Ukrainian forces inside Russian territory, where they are currently fighting. They see this as a way to give Ukraine a stronger bargaining position for future negotiations with Russia.
Ukrainian leaders believe this decision is crucial. Serhiy Kuzan, chairman of the Kyiv-based Ukrainian Security and Cooperation Centre, said: “It’s not something that will change the course of the war, but it will make our forces more equal.”
The US move comes after Russia allowed North Korean soldiers to fight in Ukraine. This had increased pressure on Ukraine to take action.
There are also reports of a major Russian assault on Ukrainian forces in the coming days. Ukraine estimates that there are 11,000 North Korean soldiers fighting alongside Russian troops.
Britain and France may now allow Ukraine to use long-range Storm Shadow missiles inside Russia. These can reach up to 300km (186 miles) and are hard to intercept due to their high speed.
The conflict between Ukraine and Russia has been escalating in recent months. Ukrainian forces have been battling to push back Russian troops in the east, while Moscow has increased its drone strikes on Ukraine.
On Saturday night, Russia launched a big co-ordinated attack on Ukraine, killing at least 10 people. More attacks followed on Sunday evening, including one that killed eight people, including two children.