This month, 1,000 people chose to support the Kyiv Independent. Can we count on you, too?
Become a member
Skip to content
A M142 HIMARS launches a rocket on the Bakhmut direction in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine on May 18, 2023. (Serhii Mykhalchuk/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)
This audio is created with AI assistance

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Brian A. Nichols indirectly acknowledged on Nov. 18 that U.S. President Joe Biden had authorized Ukraine to use American weapons to strike Russian territory.

"The weapons President Biden authorized Ukraine to use will give it more capabilities to defend itself and, hopefully, make the Russian Federation understand that using force to seize Ukrainian territory will not succeed," Nichols said in an interview with the Brazilian newspaper O Globo, responding to a question about Biden easing restrictions.

His comments followed reports saying Biden had authorized Ukraine to use American-supplied ATACMS missiles for strikes inside Russia, marking a notable shift in U.S. policy. Officials in Kyiv and Washington have been largely evasive when asked about the reports.

Nichols reiterated that the war could end immediately if Russia withdrew its forces and respected Ukraine's borders, calling Moscow’s invasion "unprovoked."

"The war began with Russia’s new unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. The conflict in Ukraine could end right now if Russia withdrew its troops from Ukraine and respected Ukraine’s borders," Nichols said.

The EU's chief diplomat, Josep Borrell, said after a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels on Nov. 18 that Washington had "authorized the use of its weapons up to 300 kilometers (190 miles) inside Russian territory." This distance coincides with the estimated range of ATACMS missiles.

Unnamed U.S. officials and a source familiar with the decision told Reuters that Ukraine plans to conduct its first long-range strikes in the coming days without providing operational details.

Another source confirmed to Axios that the strikes are limited to Kursk Oblast and that the decision was communicated to Kyiv three days earlier, Axios reported on Nov. 18.

Biden authorizes Ukraine to target Russia with US long-range missiles, media reports
The permission should initially apply to strikes against Russian and North Korean soldiers in Kursk Oblast but could eventually expand to other areas, undisclosed official sources told the New York Times.
Let’s see how far we can go?
We’ve been amazed by your support. We’ve reached our initial goal of finding 1,000 new paying members. We still have till the end of our birthday campaign — with more support, we can do even more good journalism. Over 13,000 people are standing behind us. Can we count on you, too?
Show us support this birthday month
Become a member
visa masterCard americanExpress

News Feed

1:50 PM  (Updated: )

Reuters reports Assad may have died in plane crash, later removes report.

Reuters on Dec. 8 reported, citing its Syrian sources that "there was a very high probability that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad may have been killed in a plane crash" as he was fleeing Damascus following its capture by rebels. Reuters later deleted the information from its reporting.
11:50 PM

US announces $988 million military aid package for Ukraine.

The latest aid package will be pulled through the remaining $2 billion in funding from the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) — a Pentagon-led program for supplying arms to Ukraine through contracts with U.S. defense companies.
MORE NEWS

Editors' Picks

Enter your email to subscribe
Please, enter correct email address
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required

Subscribe

* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Explaining Ukraine with Kate Tsurkan
* indicates required
Successfuly subscribed
Thank you for signing up for this newsletter. We’ve sent you a confirmation email.