The US will provide Ukraine with intelligence to carry out long-range missile strikes to target energy infrastructure inside Russia, The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.
The report said that President Trump recently signed off on the Pentagon providing such support for Ukraine, and said that it’s the first time the Trump administration will aid such Ukrainian strikes deep inside Russia, which always risks a major escalation from Moscow.
The report said that while the US has long backed Ukrainian drone and missile strikes, the intelligence sharing means Ukraine will be better able to hit refineries, pipelines, power stations, and other energy infrastructure far from its borders.
Last year, the Biden administration backed Ukrainian strikes inside Russia using US-provided ATACMS missiles, which have a range of up to 190 miles. In response, Russia altered its nuclear doctrine to lower the threshold for the use of nuclear weapons.
The news of Trump backing the long-range strikes comes as the administration is considering arming Ukraine with Tomahawk missiles, which have a range of over 1,000 miles, though it’s unclear if providing Ukraine with a launcher for Tomahawks is realistic, and sources told Reuters that the transfer of the missiles is unlikely.
The Journal report said that the Trump administration is also considering arming Ukraine with Barracudas, air-launched missiles produced by Anduril, and other munitions that have a range of about 500 miles. Providing such weapons would mark a significant escalation of the proxy war.
In August, the Trump administration announced a weapons deal for Ukraine that will provide the country with Extended Range Attack Munition (ERAM) air-launched missiles, which can hit targets up to 280 miles away, but it’s unclear when the missiles will actually arrive in Ukraine.
News of the US backing long-range missile strikes inside Russia comes as President Trump has adopted the maximalist approach of his special envoy to Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, who insists Ukraine can win the war despite Russia having the clear advantage when it comes to manpower and industrial capacity to produce weapons.
