Biden reversal on strikes in Russia boosts Ukraine, infuriates Kremlin

Ukrainians welcomed the U.S. move to let it strike in Kursk with ATACMS, as a wave of deadly Russian attacks on Sumy and Odesa caused power cuts.

KYIV, Ukraine — The Ukrainian capital was blanketed by darkness Monday, even as residents were bolstered by a sense that their American allies had — finally — seen the light.

President Joe Biden has authorized Kyiv to use U.S. weapons for strikes deep inside Russia, according to two U.S. officials — a major policy shift that drew a furious response from the Kremlin on Monday, accusing the administration of pouring "oil on the fire" two months before President-elect Donald Trump takes office.

Crucially for Ukraine, the decision comes after months of pleading and just as Russia has intensified a wave of aerial attacks that forced widespread blackouts and killed more than a dozen people, according to local officials.

"It is excellent news for us and a significant move," Kyiv resident Maryna Vlasenko, 39, told NBC News.

She also bemoaned the lengthy process and the continued limits on Ukraine's use of the long-range weapons, however. “Sometimes I just have a feeling that we are receiving the bare minimum in order not to die, and with such an attitude, Ukraine will bleed to death,” Vlasenko said in an interview Monday.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/biden-ukraine-strikes-russia-kremlin-reacts-kyiv-rcna180572

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