'Missiles will speak for themselves' — Zelensky reacts to long-range strike permission reports

President Volodymyr Zelensky commented on Nov. 17 on recent reports that the U.S. eased restrictions on long-range strikes within Russia, saying that "such things are not announced."

The president made the statement shortly after the New York Times reported that the Biden administration had permitted the use of U.S.-supplied ATACMS missiles across the border, namely against Russian and North Korean forces amassing in Russia's Kursk Oblast.

The report has not been publicly confirmed by Washington or Kyiv.

"Today, there’s a lot of talk in the media about us receiving permission for respective actions," Zelensky said in his evening address.

"But strikes are not carried out with words. Such things are not announced. Missiles will speak for themselves."

The decision would come as a major shift in U.S. policy as President Joe Biden has been long adamant about not allowing Western-supplied weapons to be used on Russian soil, fearing an escalation.

Biden first eased the restrictions in May to allow Ukraine to use certain weaponry like HIMARS to strike at Russian troops just across the border in the wake of the Kharkiv offensive. Restrictions on ATACMS, tactical ballistic missiles with a range of 300 kilometers (190 miles), remained in place at the time.

Ukraine will likely initially use the missiles against Russian and North Korean forces in Kursk Oblast, but Washington could also authorize their use elsewhere, the New York Times wrote.

Unnamed U.S. officials, as well as a source familiar with the decision, who spoke to Reuters following the decision, said that Kyiv plans to conduct its first long-range strikes in the coming days.

As the decision came in the last months of Biden's term in office, it remains unclear whether President-elect Donald Trump will uphold the policy after he returns to the White House in January 2025.

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.

The Kyiv IndependentSonya Bandouil