Mark N. Katz
Will Trump Continue or Reverse U.S. Authorization for Ukraine to Fire ATACMS into Russia?: After many months of Ukrainian leader Zelensky asking, President Biden finally allowed Kyiv to fire U.S.-made Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) missiles into Russian territory.
With a range of only 190 miles, Ukraine clearly can’t use them to attack as deep into Russia as it has done with less powerful armed drones. According to The Economist, the Biden administration has only allowed Ukraine to fire ATACMS in the vicinity of Ukrainian-occupied Russian territory in Kursk in response to the deployment of thousands of North Korean troops there.
In other words, Ukraine can’t use them to attack military targets on Russian territory adjacent to Ukrainian territory that Russian forces are occupying. This, of course, might change. But so far, as several commentators have observed, the Biden administration’s authorization of Ukraine targeting Russian territory with U.S.-supplied ATACMS is an incremental step that might help slow Russia’s advance, but certainly not reverse or even stop it.
The real question is: Will the incoming Trump administration continue allowing Ukraine to attack Russian territory with these weapons, or will it reverse this decision?
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