Biden expresses readiness to employ Western long-range missiles within Russian borders during his meeting with Britain's prime minister, discussing the matter.
Before the meeting, American officials indicated they didn't anticipate Biden authorizing the immediate use of US-provided Army Tactical Missile Systems, or ATACMS, to strike targets within Russia, even those far from the Ukrainian border.
Similarly, the UK has delivered its long-range Storm Shadow missiles to Kyiv. Their deployment, along with French missiles, is currently confined to Ukraine's territory. Any adaptations would necessitate US approval, a matter to be discussed during the conference.
Biden has been reluctant to relax restrictions on these weapons, but as the conflict prolongs and the US observes Iran's supply of ballistic missiles to Russia with increasing apprehension, in-depth discussions have been underway at the White House regarding potential changes.
Biden responded to queries about permitting Western-supplied long-range missiles to strike strategic Russian sites like airfields, missile launchers, fuel depots, and ammunition storage facilities within Russia, saying: "We're working that out right now."
The internal debate within the Biden administration has seen proponents of easing restrictions face counterparts who show reservations, both due to the risk of intensification and the utility of such a decision.
Recent analyses suggest that Russia has moved its critical assets, such as glide bomb launching points, beyond the reach of long-range missiles.
Despite American officials continuing to affirm that no shift in policy regarding ATACMS utilization in Ukraine would be announced during the week, growing public pressure for permission to employ American-provided long-range missiles farther into Russia has prompted senior administration officials to emphasize that such a change would not alter the war's trajectory.
Though US officials have engaged in discussions on long-range missile usage by Ukraine with both their Ukrainian and British counterparts, the topic is not expected to dominate the Biden-Starmer discussion, despite recent interest.
The leaders were eager to discuss a diverse array of topics, as Starmer was just settling into his position, according to a US official.
The National Security Council declined to comment on whether Biden was preparing to approve the deployment of UK's Storm Shadow missiles deep within Russian territory.
For Starmer, elected during his Labour Party's landslide general election victory in early July, the meeting is an opportunity to deepen an essential global relationship. They had previously met on the sidelines of a NATO conference in Washington.
The meeting occurred one week after Starmer's election as prime minister and two weeks before Biden concluded his campaign for re-election. Starmer reportedly sought another meeting with Biden before his departure from office, aiming to foster relations between the two nations amid uncertainties about the special relationship's post-US election future.
No major announcements are anticipated to stem from the talks, and officials have stressed that policy modifications regarding US weapons are not imminent.
The fact that discussions on long-range weapons are occurring at all signifies how stagnant battlefield dynamics have led western leaders to reassess their strategies.
Russian President Vladimir Putin told journalists Thursday that permitting Ukraine to use long-range missiles to attack Russia would mean that NATO nations, including the United States and European countries, were actively involved in the military conflict.
If Western nations permitted Ukraine to employ their long-range weapons, Putin cautioned: "This will mean that NATO countries – the United States and European countries – are at war with Russia."
The top US and British diplomats visited Kyiv this week and listened to renewed pleas from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to authorize his military to launch long-range missiles at Russian military targets.
American officials claim they base their strategy on battlefield adjustments. While the policy has evolved to allow limited cross-border strikes into Russia using US-provided weapons, the administration has yet to endorse longer-range strikes.
When asked about concerns over escalation, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken remarked that they are one aspect, but not the only factor, nor necessarily a final factor.
"From the outset, as you've heard me say, we've adjusted and adapted as needs have changed, as the battlefield has shifted, and I have no doubt that we will continue to do so as this evolves," Blinken stated at a news conference in Kyiv with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha and UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy.
The revelation that Iran has been providing Russia with ballistic missiles has sparked debate on Ukraine's capabilities. Lammy said this new information has influenced the discussion on Ukraine's long-range attack potential.
Other top American officials have displayed more skepticism. Last week, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin noted that lifting restrictions and striking deeper into Russia is not a 'silver bullet.'
"There's no one capability that will, in and of itself, be decisive in this campaign," Austin said during a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group in Germany on Friday. "There are numerous targets in Russia – a massive country, obviously – and Ukraine has a significant array of capabilities to address those targets, such as unmanned aerial vehicles."
A US official suggested that Ukraine's long-range attacks on Crimea, and Russia's naval fleet there, have been a more productive use of ATACMS, yielding significant success in recent months.
The Defense Department possesses a modest reserve of long-range weaponry, according to an authority, leading the U.S. to encourage Ukraine to utilize them effectively, preferably against high-impact Russian targets instead of dispersed locations in Russia deemed inconsequential by the U.S.
An additional American source forecasted that Russia will persistently relocate its resources beyond the reach of these long-range weapons and pointed out that approximately "several hundred" ATACMS have been handed over to Ukraine, with Ukraine reportedly exhausting the majority of them.
Regardless, there's a growing clamor in Washington for the restrictions to be abolished. Notable Democrats on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, such as its chairman, Sen. Ben Cardin from Maryland, and Sen. Jeanne Shaheen from New Hampshire, advocate for relaxing the limitations to bolster Ukraine's chances of triumph.
"Given Putin's progressively inhumane assaults on civilian objectives, it's past time to remove restraints on the use of long-range weapons provided by the U.S., permitting Ukraine to strike high-value Russian military objectives," Shaheen noted.
In the previous days, the bipartisan congressional Ukraine caucus advocated for Biden to permit Ukraine to assault targets inside Russia with these long-range weapons.
"Unless these restrictions are lifted, Ukraine will persistently battle to acquire victory in its quest to preserve its sovereignty and its populace. The Ukrainian people will carry on enduring unnecessary loss, death, and hardship as Russia benefits from this policy and amplifies its assaults across Ukraine," the bipartisan representatives stated.
A cohort of influential House Republicans also petitioned Biden to ease the restrictions in a letter on Monday. In addition, 17 former national security officials, including ex-U.S. ambassadors to Ukraine and leading military leaders, appealed to Blinken and Lammy in a distinct public letter, urging them to "act promptly."
"A policy shift is long overdue," they emphasized.
The discussion on potential changes in the use of long-range missiles has become a topic of internal debate within the Biden administration, with proponents arguing for easing restrictions and opponents expressing reservations due to the risk of intensification and the utility of such a decision.
Despite growing public pressure for permission to employ American-provided long-range missiles farther into Russia, no shift in policy regarding ATACMS utilization in Ukraine is expected to be announced during the conference.
