U.S. President Joe Biden's reported decision to allow Kyiv to strike targets in Russia with long-range American missiles is a welcome step in support of Ukraine's defense, Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp said on Nov. 18.
Veldkamp only regrets that the decision was leaked to the media.
"I would have preferred it to be a surprise for the Russians," Veldkamp said, according to the Dutch news outlet NL Times.
Several media outlets reported on Nov. 17 that Biden has granted permission for Ukraine to use its ATACMS missiles to strike military targets on Russian soil. According to some reports, the permissions extend only to Russian and North Korean forces amassing in Russia's Kursk Oblast.
The decision has not been publicly confirmed by Kyiv or Washington, with President Volodymyr Zelensky saying that the "missiles will speak for themselves."
Speaking on the sidelines of the EU foreign ministers' meeting in Brussels, Veldkamp said he approved of Washington's change in policy.
"This is an adequate response to the North Korean troop presence on the Russian side," he said.
Moving the war onto the aggressor state's territory is valid under international law, Veldkamp said.
"The Netherlands has repeatedly advocated that weapons that we supply to Ukraine can also be deployed on Russian territory. After all, that is the territory of the aggressor."
Ukraine has long pressed Western partners for long-range missiles and the permission to use them on Russian soil. Long-range strikes are a key component of Zelensky's five-point victory plan for Ukraine.
Biden's decision comes in the final weeks of his presidency, as President-elect Donald Trump prepares to again take office on Jan. 20, 2025, potentially overturning years of U.S. policy on Ukraine.
Martin Fornusek
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