President Biden authorized Ukraine to use U.S.-supplied missiles to strike further into Russia, multiple reports said.
The move comes as about 10,000 North Korean troops aid Russia in its war and expect to fight in Ukraine in the “next several weeks.”
The move also comes after President-elect Trump won the presidential election, claimed he would end the Russia-Ukraine war in one day and raised the question if his administration would be as supportive of Ukraine as Biden’s, The Associated Press reported.
An official and others familiar with the matter told the AP about Biden’s authorization but were not able to discuss the decision publicly, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
In a nightly address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he is “deeply grateful” to all of the country’s partners who support them with “air defense systems and missiles.”
“This is a truly global effort. Every time Russia carries out such attacks, it underscores how critical it is that partners don’t leave systems like Patriot and others sitting idle in warehouses, but instead provide them to those who know how to protect lives and urgently need them,” he wrote on the social platform X.
Russia launched a drone and missile attack on Ukraine in what is being seen as the largest barrage in recent months, officials said.
