WSJ: Pentagon blocked Ukraine’s long-range strikes on Russian targets for months

The Wall Street Journal reported this, citing two U.S. officials.

According to the sources, the U.S. Department of Defense had an unannounced approval process in place that has effectively blocked Kyiv from using long-range weapons since late spring. Ukraine tried at least once to strike a target in Russia with ATACMS but was refused.

The US. .veto on long-range strikes has constrained Ukraine’s military actions while the White House pushes the Kremlin toward peace talks.

Elbridge Colby, the U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense for Policy, created the so-called “review mechanism.” It requires a detailed review of Kyiv’s requests to use American long-range weapons, as well as European-supplied systems that depend on U.S. intelligence and components. The final decision rested with Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that President Trump has made it clear the war in Ukraine must end, the military balance between Russia and Ukraine has not shifted, and Secretary Hegseth is working closely with President Trump.

The Pentagon’s strike approval rule effectively reversed President Joe Biden’s decision in his final year in office to let Ukraine hit Russian territory with ATACMS.

U.S. officials said Trump’s remarks did not signal a policy change that would scrap the Pentagon’s review process or allow Ukraine wider use of ATACMS and other Western long-range systems. But a senior White House official noted Trump could still change his mind about backing expanded offensive operations against Russia.

• The Trump administration has approved the sale of 3,350 Extended Range Attack Munition (ERAM) air-launched missiles to Ukraine, worth $850 million.