Live: US gives green light to Ukraine's use of long-range missiles in Russia

Summary: 

• US President Joe Biden has given Ukraine permission for the first time to strike Russian territory with US-supplied long-range missiles, a US official told AFP on Sunday. 
• Ukraine said it would introduce nationwide emergency power restrictions Monday after a "massive" Russian attack further damaged its already fragile energy grid ahead of a much-feared winter, with nine civilians also killed across the country on Sunday. 

17/11/2024 - 21:50
17/11/2024 - 21:46

Russian strike kills eight in northeast Ukraine

A Russian missile strike killed eight people, including a child, in the northeastern Ukraine city of Sumy Sunday, the regional prosecutor's office said, after the country suffered a massive attack the night before.

Ten other residents were wounded in an attack that damaged at least 10 multi-storey buildings in a residential area, the office said. 

17/11/2024 - 21:39

Zelensky, speaking about long-range strike reports, says missiles speak for themselves

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday that "missiles speak for themselves" and "such things are not announced", after reports that Washington had granted Kyiv permission to conduct strikes deeper into Russia with US-made missiles.

Two US officials and a source familiar with the decision revealed the significant reversal of Washington's policy in the Ukraine-Russia conflict earlier on Sunday.

17/11/2024 - 21:35

US allowing long-range strikes by Ukraine will get response, Russian lawmaker cited as saying

Washington's decision to let Ukraine strike deep into Russia with long-range US missiles could lead to World War Three and will receive a swift response, Vladimir Dzhabarov, first deputy head of the Russian upper house's international affairs committee, said on Sunday, according to the TASS news agency.

Two US officials and a source familiar with the decision revealed the significant reversal of Washington's policy in the Ukraine-Russia conflict earlier on Sunday.

17/11/2024 - 21:11

Long-range missiles against Russia 'a language Putin understands', says Warsaw

Poland on Sunday welcomed news that US President Joe Biden had cleared Ukraine to use long-range missiles against military targets inside Russia, something Kyiv had been urging for months.

"With the entry into the war of North Korea troops and (Sunday's) massive attack of Russian missiles, President Biden responded in a language that (Russian President) V.Putin understands," Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski posted on X.

"The victim of aggression has the right to defend himself," Sikorski added in his post. "Strength deters, weakness provokes."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has long pushed for authorisation from Washington to use the powerful Army Tactical Missile System, known by its initials ATACMS, to hit targets inside Russia.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that approval would mean that NATO was "at war" with his country -- a threat he has made previously when Ukraine's Western backers have escalated their military assistance to Kyiv.

17/11/2024 - 21:07

EU chief slams 'horrible' Russia attack on Ukraine

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen on Sunday called a massive Russian missile-and-drone attack on Ukraine "horrible" and said Kyiv "can count on" the bloc to help.

"We have seen the horrible, horrible attacks this night of Russia against Ukraine, destroying civil energy infrastructure and costing an incredible amount of human lives," she told Brazil's Globo News in an interview as she arrived in Rio de Janeiro on the eve of a G20 summit.

"We will stand by Ukraine for as long as it takes. We are supporting Ukraine in this winter specifically where infrastructure for energy is concerned," she said. "Ukraine can count on us."

17/11/2024 - 21:06

Biden for the first time authorises Ukraine's use of US-supplied long-range missiles in Russia

President Joe Biden has for the first time authorised the use of US-supplied long-range missiles by Ukraine to strike inside Russia, according to people familiar with the matter. 

The decision is a major US policy shift and comes as Biden is about to leave office and President-elect Donald Trump has pledged to limit American support for Ukraine and end the war as soon as possible. 

The weapons are likely to be used in response to North Korea's decision to send thousands of troops to Russia in support of Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine, according to one of the people. 

The people were not authorised to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. 

17/11/2024 - 21:05

Welcome to FRANCE 24's liveblog on the war in Ukraine.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP & Reuters)