Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky would not confirm nor deny Tuesday that Kyiv used long-range U.S. missiles amid Moscow’s claims that it downed ATACMS ballistic missiles above one of its border regions.
The Russian Defense Ministry claimed earlier that it downed six of the missiles above the region of Bryansk. If true, it would represent the first attack by Kyiv using the long-range U.S. ATACMS missiles since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war 1,000 days ago.
The Russian statement comes days after The Washington Post reported that outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden authorized Ukraine to use long-range missiles supplied by the U.S. for “limited strikes” within Russian territory.
Brian Nichols, U.S. assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere affairs, confirmed the authorization earlier Tuesday to the Brazilian newspaper, O Globo.
Zelensky said in response to a question during a joint news conference with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen in Kyiv that “without going into details, Ukraine has long-range capabilities, including domestically produced drones, the Neptune (cruise missile), and now ATACMS. We will use all of these.”
He also said after listening to remarks on nuclear weapons that were voiced recently, it is time for Germany to support Ukraine’s long-range striking capabilities.
Frederiksen indicated that Denmark assured Ukraine of support during its presidency in the 27-member EU in the second half of 2025.
She said that her country’s support for Ukraine will continue, referring to Denmark’s transfer of artillery and F-16 fighter jets to Kyiv.