The U.S.
State Department confirmedTuesday that President Joe Biden licensed Ukraine to use long-range rockets to target Russian area, a move that the Kremlin has alerted would lead to considerable escalation.The policy shift, first reported by the New York Times and Washington Post on Sunday, follows Ukraines repeated demands to use the weapons against targets in Russia and allegedly is available in action to North Korea sending out troops to aid Moscows war effort.Assistant Secretary of State Brian Nichols, who verified the reports, informed the Brazilian news outlet O Globo that the decision was aimed at pressing Moscow into peace talks.Perhaps it will begin to negotiate peace or, better yet, will merely withdraw from Ukrainian territory, Nichols was quoted as saying at the G20 top in Rio.Nichols stressed that the weapons would boost Ukraines defense capabilities and signal to the Kremlin that efforts to take Ukrainian area through force would fail.Earlier, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller declined to verify the reports, saying that the U.S.
would continue to change its assistance to Ukraine as needed.Ukraines Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga explained the licensed use of U.S.-made ATACMS long-range missiles versus targets inside Russia as a prospective video game changer.The longer Ukraine can strike, the shorter the war will be, Sybiga said ahead of a UN Security Council meeting marking 1,000 days because Russias complete invasion.At the G20 summit, Biden repeated U.S.
support for Ukrainessovereignty.
Everyone around this table, in my view, ought to too, he said.Earlier this week, the Kremlin implicated Washington of looking for to intensify the war.
And on Tuesday, President Vladimir Putin approved changes to Russias nuclear teaching, expanding conditions for nuclear use.AFP contributed reporting.