Biden, Trump coordinated to authorize Ukraine’s ATACMS use, says Ukrainian officer

He shared his opinions with Espreso TV.

"The fact is that, from U.S.’ perspective, these permits hinged on two issues. The first point is guidance systems using American satellites. With all due respect, but Prytula's satellite (a satellite purchased by Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundation for the needs of the Ukrainian Armed Forces - ed.) will not solve such problems. The second point is strengthening Ukraine's negotiating position. Right now, everyone is talking about the United States, Trump, the newly elected president, saying there will soon be a stop, a freeze, or whatever we call it. But to bring Putin to the negotiating table, we always asked: 'What did Putin say about that? Is he ready?' And Putin responded with the same nonsense about the Istanbul agreements, denazification, and the goals of the Minsk agreements. We've all heard this repeatedly. Moreover, why would Putin sit down at the negotiating table if his front is moving westward, not eastward? There are two things that could put him in a bind: either if the front were moving east and we were advancing, that's one scenario; or the second is if Russia's economy were collapsing, or if internal processes, like the struggle of enslaved peoples inside, led to the breakup of Russia. Then, of course, he would be worried about something," he said.

According to Ihor Lapin, the Western partners have strengthened Ukraine's negotiating position with this decision.

“The issue is to provide Ukraine with capabilities, and how much we will use them is a different question. So to speak, instead of us, our Western partners, the Americans, have strengthened our negotiating position. This is the only algorithm that can substantiate the fact that somehow pressure will be put on Putin. It’s by having certain weapons that we can assert that we too have a strong position. I'm not going to praise or criticize the president's speech in parliament right now, but he also talked about 3,000 missiles and 30,000 long-range drones. But this will all happen someday, if the money is not stolen,” the officer said. 

The military officer noted that, despite the “election cries,” it is important for the Americans not to set up their successor. 

“But as for Trump's statement that he will come to office and almost immediately call for a ceasefire, he needs to have some argument for that. That’s why I don’t think Biden made this statement and granted this authorization without first agreeing on a position with Trump, with whom they met the day before—I emphasize, for a smooth transfer of power. You see, political statements and election rhetoric are one thing, but for America, above all, is its own national interest. This is a very important matter for them—not to set up their successor, because, again, America is above all, not Ukraine. So, I believe this was agreed upon,” he said.

• On the evening of November 17, it was reported that U.S. President Joe Biden had authorized Ukraine to strike Russian territory with U.S. long-range missiles.
• On November 18, it was reported that Biden's decision to allow Ukraine to fire long-range ATACMS missiles deep into Russian territory only applies to the Kursk region.
• On the night of November 19, Ukraine's Armed Forces hit the arsenal at the 1046th logistics center near Karachev, a city in Russia's Bryansk region. According to media reports, Ukraine used ATACMS for the first time during the attack.
• Ukraine attacked an ammunition depot in Russia with eight ATACMS: Russia claimed to intercept two long-range missiles.
• On November 20, the leader of the Republican Party in the U.S. Senate officially confirmed the White House's decision to lift restrictions on Ukraine's long-range ATACMS missile strikes on targets in Russia.