Biden admin worried costs outweigh benefits of green-lighting long-range missiles for Ukraine: US official

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John Kirby speaks about long-range missile capabilities for Ukraine

The White House national security spokesperson had an exchange with Fox News’ Jacqui Heinrich on green-lighting long-range missiles for Ukraine and the presence of North Korean soldiers in Russia.

A U.S. official told Fox News the Intelligence Committee (IC) and Pentagon have recommended against modifying a U.S. policy that would allow Ukraine to strike targets deep within Russia using U.S.-made long-range missiles, citing there would be greater costs than benefits.

According to the IC and Department of Defense (DOD) analysis, a change in policy would not have a strategic impact or would not change the course of the war, in part because there are a few targets inside the Army Tactical Missile System’s (ATACMS) 300-km range.

In August, the IC assessed that Russia relocated more than 90% of its aircraft outside ATACMS range, so it was a "misconception that it would be a solution to the glide bombs."

The recommendation is also partially due to limited stocks, as Ukraine does not have enough ATACMS, and the DOD has advised the U.S. would not be able to draw down additional stocks without hurting U.S. military readiness.

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U.S. officials are hesitant to change a policy that would allow Ukraine to strike targets deep within Russia using long-range missiles. (John Hamilton/U.S. Army via AP, File)

President Biden has not ruled out changing the policy in the future, and the U.S. has not officially said "no" to Ukraine. Still, a U.S. official told Fox the reason Biden has not been inclined to change the policy is because there would be little benefit, and potentially some cost.

"It would be irresponsible if we didn’t take into account what Russia would do," the official said.

The official also said Russia is a "nuclear power capable of doing very bad things both to Ukraine and to the U.S.," referencing warehouses being blown up, and revelations made by the German spy chief last week that Russia was behind an attempted act of sabotage involving a parcel bomb on a plane this summer, which could have pushed Berlin and Moscow closer to war.

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This view shows apartment buildings damaged by a Russian military strike in Vuhledar, Ukraine, on Oct. 10, 2023. (REUTERS/Yevhen Titov)

The official reiterated that concerns about escalation are not the only factor driving Biden’s thinking. If a change in policy was made, the IC assessed that Russia would just reposition its assets out of range.

Still, Fox was told that the Biden administration is considering more sanctions in response to North Korean troops being sent to Russia. The U.S. is currently in talks with its allies and partners about the best way to move forward, the official added.

The official reached out to Fox News’ Jacqui Heinrich after her exchange with White House national security spokesperson John Kirby on Wednesday.

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John Kirby, national security council coordinator, said Wednesday it was not clear what North Korean soldiers were doing in Russia or if they would go into combat. (Sarah Silbiger/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

During the exchange, Heinrich asked why the U.S. had not approved long-range missiles for Ukraine to use – given it is Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s No. 1 request – as U.S. officials sounded the alarm about what could have far-reaching implications if North Korean soldiers go into Ukraine.

"We don’t exactly know what these guys are going to do," Kirby said. "We don’t know what they’re going to do. We don’t know if they’re going to deploy into combat or not.

"We’ll see what the Russians and North Koreans decide to do here," he later told Heinrich. "As I said earlier, if these North Korean soldiers decide to join the fight against Ukraine, they will become legitimate military targets."

Zelenskyy visited the U.S. this month to present his "victory plan," a key provision of which was lifting restrictions on ATACMS and other U.S.-provided long-range missiles to strike military targets inside Russia.

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Ukraine claimed that the long-range missiles could thwart Russia’s deadly glide bombs, and many U.S. lawmakers turned up the pressure on Biden to unleash the long-range missile capability.

Fox News’ Morgan Phillips and Jennifer Griffin contributed to this report.