Ukraine requests US approval for long-range ATACMS missiles against Russia

Ukrainian troops battled in Russia’s Kursk region, occupying villages and part of a town, in what has become the Western-backed military’s largest cross-border incursion since the Kremlin’s invasion in 2022.

US, Ukrainian and Russian officials all acknowledged the ongoing attack, which stunned Moscow and appeared to involve the use of armored fighting vehicles donated to Kyiv by the United States and its European partners — a development that drew no immediate objection from the Biden administration despite its past restrictions on such use of American weaponry, Caliber.Az reports citing the foreign media.

The surprise assault on Kursk, about 330 miles south of Moscow, seemed designed to bring the war home to Russia, where many do not feel any direct impact of a conflict that has destroyed many Ukrainian cities and towns and displaced millions. It also may be intended to divert Russian troops from other locations along the front, where Ukraine’s military has steadily lost ground in recent months. Analysts suggested Kyiv could be trying to gain leverage for any future negotiations with the Kremlin.

Ukrainian officials have asked Washington to let them to use long-range US ATACMS missiles to hit airfields that Russia is using to retaliate against the incursion — a decision that, if approved, could allow Kyiv to hold a portion of Kursk for some time.

“This will give them the leverage they need for negotiations with Russia — this is what it’s all about,” Ukrainian president’s adviser said.

The Kursk offensive has put new pressure on Putin as Russian civilians have had to be evacuated under the same type of bombardment Ukrainians have endured for more than two years.