In a major shift of his administration's policy on the Ukraine crisis, U.S. President Joe Biden has authorized Kiev to use U.S.-supplied long-range missiles to strike targets inside Russia, U.S. media reported Sunday.
The greenlight would allow the Ukrainian troop's first use of Western-made ATACMS missiles, reported U.S. media outlets including The Associated Press, The New York Times and The Washington Post, citing two anonymous U.S. officials.
The White House or the Pentagon has not yet confirmed the decision.
The Biden administration has allowed Kiev to use HIMARS, a U.S.-developed light multiple rocket launcher with a range of about 50 miles (80.5 km), for cross-border attacks in Russia to defend the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv and the surrounding region since May, when Russian forces began an offensive there.
The administration, however, had ruled out permitting Ukraine to use the longer-range ATACMS inside Russia, fearing a drastic escalation of the conflict. The ATACMS has a range of about 190 miles (305.8 km).
U.S. officials said they do not expect the shift of the policy to "fundamentally change the course" of the conflict, The New York Times reported, adding that Biden could authorize Kiev to use the weapons elsewhere outside Kursk.
In a comment to Russia media on Sunday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that Russian President Vladimir Putin has previously spoken out about strikes on Russian territory with American long-range weapons.
Previously on Sept 12, Putin pointed out that a possible decision to use Western long-range weapons against Russia would mean nothing less than the direct participation of the Western countries in the war in Ukraine. This will significantly change the very essence and nature of this conflict and the Russian Federation will make appropriate decisions based on the threats that will be created for it, Putin said.
Leonid Slutsky, chairman of the International Affairs Committee of the Russian State Duma, warned that the use of American-made missiles to strike deep into the Russian region will inevitably lead to an extremely serious escalation and may bring even more serious consequences.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his regular video speech on Sunday evening that there has been much coverage in the media that the Ukrainian side has received approval to take relative actions. He said strikes are not carried out with words and these things are not announced. The missiles will speak for themselves, he said.
Biden reportedly OKs Ukraine's use of U.S. long-range missiles to strike inside Russia
Government officials from developing countries have praised China's experience and achievements in poverty alleviation and expressed their interest in collaborating with China in this area.
Fighting hunger and poverty has been a key focus at this year's G20 meeting in Brazil.
In 2021, China, with over 1.4 billion people, announced the eradication of extreme poverty after decades of efforts, serving as an example for many countries seeking to address poverty and pursue better development.
At a recent promotion event about Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil's Minister of Development and Social Assistance, Wellington Dias, highlighted that China's poverty reduction not only stabilized food supply but also boosted business and employment. He expressed Brazil's desire to further collaborate with China on these issues.
"When we look back at the beginning of the century, Brazil and China celebrated a partnership of experiences. Brazil, especially, on food security and eradicating poverty. China, when we look at this aspect, has advanced. China not only improved its food scenario, but also developed employment opportunities and entrepreneurship. How to work together in order to better support small businesses is an important area for the partnership between Brazil and China," said Dias.
For Lynett Ochuma, Director of Social Development of Kenyan State Department for Social Protection, China's efforts in poverty alleviation are deeply integrated into the communities at the grassroots level, and have empowered these communities to take action and improve their own conditions.
"China contributed a lot for poverty alleviation, just before I came to Brazil I met a Chinese team that is participating in the clean energy, providing people and training them with skills on clean energy. And that is one way of empowering the community. They even train them on solar energy, so that they can drive their basics using solar, empowering the women and youth at the grassroots level," she said.
As a global leader in poverty alleviation and economic growth, China has become an inspiration for many developing countries, with some of them seeing valuable opportunities in collaborating with China and learning from its experience.
"In fact, we have had the opportunity to closely observe China's experience in reducing extreme poverty. Through our cooperation with China in Peru, whether at Chancay port or in other areas, we see significant opportunities. I believe that together, we will be able to face major challenges, and China's contributions, as well as what we can learn from its experience, will be extremely important," said Jessica Nino de Guzman Esaine, Vice Minister of Social Benefits of Peruvian Ministry of Development and Social Inclusion.
Officials from developing countries hail China's poverty alleviation achievement
