Pentagon’s Strategy with Ukraine’s Long-Range Attacks on Russia

The Pentagon has reportedly spent several months enabling Ukrainian forces to execute deep strikes into Russia using US and British missiles, according to a recent report from The Wall Street Journal that cites an unnamed US official.

Policy director Eldridge Colby has allegedly devised a process to evaluate requests for long-range missile strikes that involve US-sourced weapons or require intelligence support from US sources. Defense Secretary Pete Hegses is said to hold the ultimate authority on whether Ukrainian forces can deploy the MGM-140 ATACMS (Army Tactical Missile System) against Russian targets.

This move to block missile strikes aligns with the Trump administration’s attempts to negotiate a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine. A Pentagon spokesman has chosen not to elaborate further on the situation.

The Biden administration permitted Ukraine to utilize ATACMS in November, shortly after Donald Trump’s electoral victory in 2024, as reported by The New York Times. Trump later expressed concern over this decision in a December interview with Time magazine, questioning the rationale behind sending missiles capable of reaching hundreds of miles into Russia.

“What’s going on, it’s crazy. It’s crazy,” Trump remarked. “I am very opposed to sending missiles hundreds of miles to Russia. Why are we doing that? We are just escalating this war and making it worse.”

On August 15th, Trump met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska in an effort to establish a ceasefire regarding the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. During this meeting, a B-2A Spirit stealth bomber and several fighter jets made a flyover at Elmendorf Air Force Base.

Just a few days later, Trump engaged with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and major European leaders for an update on the summit. In July, he also brokered a deal with NATO allies for purchasing weapons, including the MIM-104 Patriot Surface-to-Air Missile, which were then donated to Ukraine.