The White House confirmed: Ukraine used ATACMS missiles against Russia
25 November 23:24
White House adviser John Kirby said that Ukraine has used US-supplied ATACMS ballistic missiles to strike targets in Russia’s Kursk region. Kirby said this during a briefing, Komersant ukrainskyi
reports
The White House adviser said that Ukrainians could attack Russia with ATACAMS missiles to “defend themselves in case of immediate need.”
“They (Ukrainians – ed.) can use ATACMS to defend themselves in case of immediate need, and now, of course, this is happening in Kursk and the Kursk region,” Kirby said.
He emphasized that the United States has explained to the Ukrainian military which targets can be hit by American missiles.
“We changed the guidance and gave them instructions that they can use them (ATACMS missiles – ed.) to hit these types of targets,” Kirby emphasized.
Earlier, the US media, citing unnamed officials, reported that Ukraine had already used ATACMS to strike targets in Russia, although there was no official confirmation of this from the US authorities at the time.
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Western weapons and authorizations for their use
As you know, the United States has authorized the use of weapons provided by it only for strikes on the border territories of Russia. This permission was granted by US President Joe Biden only at the end of May 2024, and before that, strikes on Russian territory with US weapons were generally prohibited.
However, closer to the end of June, the US side made unofficial statements that the restrictions “do not apply to geography or a certain radius.” This was interpreted as meaning that Ukraine could allegedly strike at those facilities and territories from which attacks on Ukraine are directly directed, even if they are deeper than the border areas. But it has recently emerged that this may also mean that Ukraine is not allowed to strike certain targets even in the occupied territories.
Experts say that border strikes will not change the situation at the front, so Zelenskyy asked his partners for permission to use their weapons to strike Russian territory. Some Western countries have given such permission without waiting for the US to decide.
The information that US President Joe Biden for the first time allowed the Ukrainian military to use long-range ATACMS missiles to strike Russian territory appeared in the New York Times on November 18.
