EDITORIAL — Permission and escalation

Things are looking to get more interesting in Russia’s war against Ukraine.

When before the US forbade Ukraine from hitting targets inside Russia using long-range missiles supplied by them, US President Joe Biden recently gave his consent for them to be able to do so.

This was in response to Russia’s alleged deployment of North Korean troops in its war against Ukraine, with an estimated 11,000 North Korean soldiers now in the Kursk Region.

This permission is seen to even things up in this war, if not give Ukraine a leg up in their struggle considering they can now strike targets in Russia, something that the US wouldn’t let them do before for fear of “escalating” the conflict.

We don’t want to hear Russia complaining about other nations getting involved in the war. Not when they already asked for help from China and North Korea in their aggressive actions against their neighbor.

So far this has been a war where Ukraine and the nations that support it have had all the restrictions; either supporting nations cannot field troops or can’t have their weapons systems directly used against Russia or its troops. On the other hand, Russia has had a field day with what they can do and has even roped North Korea into its war.

Right now, Ukraine has at their disposal the US-provided Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS), capable of hitting a target 190 kilometers away and definitely devastating if used correctly, even if some pundits insist it is now too late.

Of course, this advantage may shift when Donald Trump resumes as US president come January. There is always the possibility he will cut off all forms of aid to Ukraine, including missile systems.

Ukraine may not have much time with what can be argued as the best advantage they have been allowed so far. It should press any advantage it has where it can and while it can.