Biden allows long-range strikes only on Kursk Oblast to deter North Korea – Axios

The United States has approved Ukraine's use of long-range ATACMS missiles to strike solely Russia's Kursk Oblast, according to a report by Axios citing an informed source.

President Joe Biden approved the use of ATACMS missiles only in the area where North Korean soldiers are concentrated.

The motive behind this decision is Washington's desire to deter North Korea from sending more troops to Russia to participate in the war against Ukraine.

Unnamed U.S. officials hope that if North Korean soldiers are attacked, North Korea may reconsider its military cooperation with Russia. Without additional manpower, the officials believe, the Russian advance in Kursk Oblast will fail.

On November 11, The Telegraph reported that French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer were seeking to convince Biden to allow Ukraine to strike deep into Russian territory.

On November 17, The New York Times reported that Biden had approved Ukraine's use of long-range ATACMS missiles to strike Russia.

Responding to similar media reports on the same day, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that long-range strikes are not announced in advance. According to him, the missiles will "speak for themselves."