U.S. allows Ukraine to strike Russia with certain long-range missiles – WSJ
The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has lifted a "key restriction" on Ukraine’s use of certain long-range missiles provided by Western allies. The move will allow Kyiv to extend the reach of its strikes deep inside Russia and increase pressure on the Kremlin.
This is reported by The Wall Street Journal, according to Censor.NET.
As noted, the move aligns with President Trump’s early-October initiative to push Moscow into negotiations to end the war while refraining from transferring Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine.
Storm Shadow missile strikes
U.S. officials said they expect further Ukrainian strikes on Russia using Storm Shadow missiles, which are air-launched and have a range of over 290 kilometers.
On Tuesday, Ukraine used a British-supplied Storm Shadow missile to strike a Russian plant in Bryansk that produced explosives and rocket fuel.
"The renewed use of Storm Shadow missiles is not a game-changer on the battlefield — their range is much shorter than that of Tomahawks, and these missiles have previously been used against targets in Russia. However, they expand Kyiv’s ability to hit deep inside Russian territory," the WSJ noted.
Who made the decision
According to the WSJ, the U.S. decision, not publicly announced, came after authority to approve such strikes was transferred from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, the commander of U.S. European Command and head of NATO’s Allied Air Command.
Former President Joe Biden, near the end of his term, had authorized Ukraine to use Storm Shadow and ATACMS missiles for strikes on targets inside Russia. However, after Trump returned to power, the Pentagon introduced an additional approval procedure for all cross-border strikes involving U.S. targeting data, including Storm Shadow.
Ukraine continues to carry out long-range attacks inside Russia using its own drones and a limited number of domestically produced missiles, many aimed at Russian oil refineries and energy infrastructure.
In September, the WSJ reported that Trump authorized sharing U.S. intelligence on such targets with Kyiv.
"Ukraine has demonstrated extraordinary ability to strike deep into legitimate military targets in Russia that fuel the Kremlin’s war — a war that is draining Russia’s economy and has already killed or wounded over a million Russians. Ukraine doesn’t need our permission," said Col. Martin O’Donnell, a NATO spokesperson.
