Has US authorisation for Ukraine to fire long-range missiles into Russia come too late?

NEWS WIRES

18 November 2024 at 9:31 am·1-min read

A view shows cars and a building heavily damaged during a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Odesa, Ukraine on November 18, 2024.

The Biden administration's decision on Sunday to allow Ukraine to use US-supplied long-range missiles to strike Russian territory could help it defend its foothold in Russia's Kursk region, but may have come too late to be a gamechanger overall in the war, military analysts say.

The U.S. decision to authorise long-range Ukrainian strikes could help Kyiv defend the foothold in Russia's Kursk region that it seized as leverage in any war talks, but may come too late to change the course of the war, analysts said.

Two months before leaving office, President Joe Biden lifted some restrictions that have blocked Kyiv from using U.S.-supplied weapons for strikes deeper into Russian territory, in a major policy change, Reuters reported on Sunday.

Military analysts said the impact on the battlefield, where Ukraine has been on the back foot for months, would depend on what limits remained. But while the shift may shore up the Kursk operation, it was unlikely to be a gamechanger overall.

"Long-range strikes were always one piece of the puzzle, and had been overly freighted with expectations in this war."

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