President Joe Biden's decision to green-light the use of long-range missiles by Ukraine to target positions inside Russia may benefit President-elect Donald Trump, a retired U.S. general has suggested.
Biden announced the decision to allow Ukraine to use ATACMS missiles over the weekend, signaling a marked shift in policy toward the conflict in Eastern Europe. The decision drew condemnation from several Trump allies, including Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene and Donald Trump Jr.
Dmitry Peskov, spokesperson for Russian President Vladimir Putin, said such a decision would escalate tensions and deepen the United States' involvement in the war.
However, in a Friday appearance on Fox News, retired U.S. Army Lieutenant General Keith Kellogg, former Vice President Mike Pence's national security adviser, said the move could present an opportunity for the incoming president.
Biden has "actually given President Trump more leverage," Kellogg said.
"Now he can pull back. He can go left; he can go right. He can do something."
Kellogg added that the decision "does give President Trump more ability to pivot from that."
The retired general also said the move should have been made "a long time ago."
"They should have been doing this a year ago," said Kellogg.
"You do not fight a war allowing other countries to have sanctuaries.
"If you're gonna fight a war, you fight a war, and we've basically pulled back on letting [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelensky fight a war that he should have been fighting a long time ago."
He added that "the advantages" Zelensky "had last summer are not there anymore."
Newsweek reached out to the White House and the Trump transition team for comment via email.
Developed during the Cold War, the Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) is a weapon designed to equip the U.S. military with long-range strike capabilities. The missiles are usually launched from High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), a platform that Ukraine is already using.
They can soar to high altitudes before descending at incredible speeds, making interception challenging. With a range of up to 190 miles, they can strike deep into enemy territory.
Their capabilities make them effective weapons against fixed targets like ammunition depots, command centers, and logistic hubs.
Ukrainian news agency RBC-Ukraine that Ukraine fired long-range ATACMS missiles against a target inside Russia for the first time on Tuesday, citing a source inside the country's defense forces.
According to the report, the missiles struck a munitions storage facility near the city of Karachev in western Russia, over 70 miles from the Ukrainian border.
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