Just a few weeks before the end of his term in office, US President Joe Biden has given the green light for Ukraine to deploy so-called ATACMS missiles. With their range of up to 300 kilometers, they can also be used to attack targets deep in the Russian hinterland (-> current news from the Ukraine war).
In doing so, Biden is following months of pressure from Kiev, which has long called for the use of these weapons to combat Russian supply bases and military infrastructure. This decision represents a change in strategy and could be linked to the deployment of North Korean soldiers in the Russian region of Kursk (-> Expert interview with Brigadier Philipp Eder: North Korean soldiers in Kursk).
According to a recent report in the New York Times, around 50,000 soldiers, including 10,000 North Koreans, are now stationed in Kursk to push back Ukrainian units. Ukraine has controlled an area of several hundred square kilometers there since August. With the new missiles, it can hit Russian depots and supply lines, even if the US government does not believe that this will decisively change the course of the war. However, it could also signal to the leadership in North Korea that its soldiers are vulnerable.
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin had always warned that the delivery of such weapons would be seen as an entry into war by NATO-states to enter the war. This fear had previously deterred Western allies, including Germany, from supplying similar weapons. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz reiterated his rejection of the delivery of Taurus cruise missiles, citing the risk of escalation.
