After months of Ukrainian demands, a significant momentpublished at 06:43 Greenwich Mean Time November 18

06:43 GMT 18 November

Paul Adams
Diplomatic correspondent, in Dnipro, Ukraine

This is an important moment of the war.

Ukraine has been asking for months for permission to use the ATACMS (Army Tactical Missile System) inside Russia.

It is one of the most powerful weapons supplied to Ukraine so far, capable of firing long-range missiles of up to 306 km.

“This is a very important decision for us,” Serhiy Kuzan, president of the Kiev-based Ukrainian Center for Security and Cooperation, told me.

“It’s not something that will change the course of the war, but I think it will make our forces more equal.”

Kuzan said the decision came just in time to counter the expected start of a major offensive by Russian and North Korean troops aimed at dislodging Ukrainian forces from Russia’s Kursk region.

The attack is expected in a few days.

There is another consequence. President Biden’s decision will finally allow Britain and France to give Ukraine permission to use long-range Stormshadow missiles inside Russia.

It’s something Kiev has pushed for, arguing that preventing Ukraine from striking targets across the border is akin to tying one’s hands behind one’s back.

With the green light from Washington, London and Paris, key airfields and logistics centers deep in Russia will now come within range of Ukraine.

Washington’s decision on ATACMS is couched in terms of being limited to the defense of Ukrainian forces inside the Kursk region.

In effect, the Biden administration is telling Kiev that it will support its efforts to retain a small portion of the Russian territory it currently occupies as a strong bargaining chip for any possible negotiations in the future.

In September, Vladimir Putin warned that NATO would come into direct conflict with Russia if Ukraine used Western long-range missiles to strike inside Russia.

This challenge is about to be put to the test.

image source, US Army