Trump Jr. ridicules US decision to authorize Ukraine to target Russia with long-range missiles

President-elect Donald Trump's son, Donald Trump Jr., ridiculed U.S. President Joe Biden's decision to authorize Kyiv's use of U.S.-supplied long-range missiles for strikes inside Russia.

According to media reports, Biden authorized the decision on Nov. 17, marking a significant shift in U.S. policy. 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.

While reposting a news item of the policy change on X, Trump Jr. referred to the Biden administration as "imbeciles" for allowing the decision to go forward.

"The Military Industrial Complex seems to want to make sure they get World War 3 going before my father has a chance to create peace and save lives," Trump Jr. wrote.

President-elect Trump has repeatedly criticized U.S. aid to Ukraine, calling President Volodymyr Zelensky "the greatest salesman on earth" and vowing to get the U.S. "out" of the war as soon as possible. Trump also led congressional Republicans to obstruct aid to Kyiv in a drawn-out legislative battle while Ukrainians on the front lines suffered an ammunition shortage.

While Donald Trump Jr. does not hold a formal position within his father's White House transition team, President-elect Trump has been known to regularly consult family members on a number policy decisions.

Trump Jr. has previously taunted Ukrainian officials on social media, having shared an Instagram clip on Nov. 10 mocking President Volodymyr Zelensky and indicating that Ukraine would soon lose aid from the United States.

Another incoming Trump administration official, billionaire Elon Musk, also mocked on Nov. 16 Zelensky for saying that Ukraine is an independent country that cannot be forced to "sit and listen."

It was not immediately clear if President-elect Trump will reverse Biden's decision on Kyiv's use of long-range missiles as neither Trump nor his transition team have commented on the move.

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