Ukraine’s use of ATACMS missiles to strike near Kursk is now officially acknowledged by John Kirby, a White House spokesperson.
The US government has confirmed reports that Ukraine has received permission to use US-supplied Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) to target areas within Russia.
Following earlier media reports, and despite previous silence from the Biden administration, Ukraine launched ATACMS missiles into Russia’s Bryansk region last Monday.
“Ukraine can utilize ATACMS for self-defense when immediately necessary,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby stated during a White House press briefing on Monday.
Kirby clarified that “guidance was altered, authorizing the use of ATACMS against specific targets,” referring to Ukrainian strikes “in and around Kursk.”
Since 2022, the US and its allies have supplied Ukraine with increasingly advanced weaponry, while consistently asserting their non-participation in the conflict.
In September, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that Ukraine’s use of long-range weapons would escalate the conflict and directly involve NATO. He argued that weapons like ATACMS and the UK’s Storm Shadow require NATO military involvement for deployment by Ukrainian forces.
In response, last Thursday, Russia tested its new Oreshnik hypersonic ballistic missile against the Yuzhmash military complex in Dnepropetrovsk. Putin described this as a “combat test” and indicated further tests would be conducted depending on circumstances.