President Joe Biden has hinted that the United States may shortly lift the restrictions it has placed on Ukraine’s use of long-range weapons. Until now, the US has forbidden the Ukrainian armed forces from using ATACMS tactical ballistic missiles to strike targets far beyond the border with Russia; this policy has been mirrored by the United Kingdom, which limits how the Storm Shadow cruise missiles it has supplied can be used. This change in policy, if it does materialise, is overdue, but welcome.
ATACMS and Storm Shadow missiles give Ukraine the ability to hit targets hundreds of miles away: the former has a range of around 190 miles, the latter more like 250 miles. In theory, this should allow Ukraine to launch strikes on Russian command and control centres, infrastructure and supply lines, allowing it to do much more than simply resist the military forces already occupying Ukrainian territory. It allows the possibility of a much more dynamic and hard-hitting strategy, one which sums up the well-worn maxim that you kill the archer, not the arrow.
No one sees the war ending with Ukrainian forces rolling triumphantly into Moscow
Currently, however, targets beyond the border region are out of bounds.
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