The officials said a new high-level approval process inside the Defense Department has effectively prevented Kyiv from launching ATACMS since the spring. In at least one instance, Ukraine requested permission to use the missiles against a target inside Russia but was denied, they said.
The U.S. veto on long-range strikes limited Ukraine’s military options as the White House sought to re-engage the Kremlin in potential peace talks, according to the report.
Eldridge Colby, the Pentagon’s undersecretary for policy, developed the review mechanism, which requires Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to authorize any Ukrainian use of U.S. long-range weapons — including ATACMS missiles with a range of about 300 kilometers. The system also applies to European-supplied weapons that rely on U.S. intelligence or components.
White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said in a statement that “President Trump has made it clear that the war in Ukraine needs to end. There has been no change in the military situation in Russia-Ukraine at this stage. Secretary Hegseth is working closely with President Trump.”
The review process effectively reversed former President Joe Biden’s late-term decision to allow Ukraine to strike inside Russian territory with ATACMS.
On Thursday, Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth that Ukraine cannot defeat Russia unless it can “play offense” in the war, now in its fourth year. “It is very hard to, if not impossible, to win a war without attacking an invaders country,” Trump wrote. “There is no chance of winning.”
U.S. officials stressed, however, that Trump’s remarks do not signal a shift in policy that would lift the Pentagon restrictions. A senior White House official said Trump could reconsider offensive operations against Russia, but no change has been made.
As president-elect, Trump had called Biden’s decision to permit Ukrainian strikes inside Russia “stupid,” warning it would escalate the war.
The ATACMS missiles and other long-range systems, such as Britain’s Storm Shadow cruise missile, have not been decisive for Ukraine but have enabled strikes on Russian command centers and airfields deep behind the front. Because Storm Shadow relies on U.S. targeting data, its use is also subject to the Pentagon’s approval, U.S. and British officials said.
In July, Trump pledged to provide Kyiv with new weapons if Europe agreed to cover the costs, following a brief pause in U.S. arms shipments while the Pentagon assessed American stockpiles. “We are not looking to supply longer-range weapons to hit Moscow,” Trump told reporters at the time.
While Washington has not announced plans to send additional ATACMS, other U.S.-made systems purchased by European governments — including precision-guided GMLRS rockets with a range of about 145 kilometers — could still aid Ukraine.
Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump
Last week, the Trump administration approved an $850 million weapons package, mostly funded by Europe, that included 3,350 extended-range air-launched missiles (ERAMs) with ranges between 240 and 450 kilometers. Delivery is expected within six weeks, though officials said their use would also require Pentagon approval.
Biden’s administration had supplied Ukraine with hundreds of ATACMS in early 2023, later lifting restrictions on their use inside Russia in the fall of 2024 after North Korean forces joined the war on Moscow’s side. The final ATACMS shipment approved under Biden arrived in the spring, leaving Kyiv with only a small stockpile, officials said.
Meanwhile, Ukraine has expanded its own long-range strike capabilities, particularly with drones. Earlier this month, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine is developing a new cruise missile, the “Flamingo,” which could be produced in significant numbers by late this year or early next year.