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Washington has not allowed Ukraine to use long-range American weapons for attacks inside Russian territory since the spring, as part of a broader strategy by Donald Trump to bring Vladimir Putin to peace talks, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal.
As reported, the Pentagon has "curtailed" the use of the Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS), while the same vetting process applies to the British Storm Shadow missiles, as they are based on American targeting data.
Final approval for any use rests with US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. The Biden administration had allowed Ukraine to use these systems against targets inside Russia last November, when North Korean troops entered the war.
Donald Trump, shortly before his inauguration in January, had called the decision a “mistake.” “I absolutely disagree with launching missiles hundreds of miles away from Russia. All we’re doing is escalating the war,” he told Time magazine.
While it is unclear whether the new verification process constitutes a change in policy, it comes at a time when the US is gradually reducing ammunition supplies to Kiev, while its own stockpiles are dwindling.
A White House spokesman told the WSJ that “President Trump has made it clear that the war must end” and stressed that “there is no change in the military posture on the Russia-Ukraine front.”
However, the US president recently stressed that Ukraine cannot win unless it has the ability to go on the offensive.
"It is impossible to win a war without attacking the aggressor's country," he wrote, comparing the situation to "an excellent team that has a good defense but is not allowed to play offense."
At the same time, the US approved the sale of 3,350 ERAMS (Extended Range Attack Munitions) missiles, with a range of up to 400 kilometers, on the condition that they be financed by European countries.
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