Nick Paton Walsh
The decision by US President Joe Biden to allow Ukraine to use long-range American missiles in Russia follows a familiar pattern.
The White House refuses for months to grant a weapons request from Ukraine, fearing it would be escalatory. Kyiv loudly decries the refusal, and just when the request seems to have been parked, the Biden administration approves it.
Ukraine’s request for HIMARS, Abrams tanks, F16s – all followed a similar pattern of refuse and prevaricate, and then grant, almost at the moment when it is too late.
Is it too late for the US-made Army Tactical Missile Systems, or ATACMS, to make a difference if it hits targets deep inside Russia?
The answer is complex and perhaps explains some of the reluctance of the Biden administration to grant permission.
Firstly, there is a limited supply of ATACMS that Ukraine can get its hands on. So even Kyiv being able to hit deep inside Russia is not going to yield an overnight change in the battlefield. The White House did not specify the variant of ATACMS it has given permission to be fired into Russia, but the missile’s longest range can be up to 300 kilometers (190 miles), per the manufacturer’s website.
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