Dayton Reporter

House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Chairman Mike Turner expressed his views regarding the Biden Administration's recent decision to allow Ukraine to use Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) for strikes inside Russia. This marks a change from the previous ban on such actions.

Turner stated, “Ukraine can’t properly defend itself if one hand is tied behind its back. Today’s news that the Biden Administration is finally allowing Ukraine to use some U.S.-provided ATACMS to strike limited targets within Russian territory is long overdue. For months, I have called on President Biden to remove these restrictions. President Biden should have listened to President Zelenskyy’s pleas much earlier."

He further added, "President Biden continues to impose restrictions on Ukraine that prevent Ukrainians from defending themselves and prevent this conflict from ending. This first step will put pressure on Vladimir Putin as President-elect Trump returns to the White House and works to end this war.”

Chairman Turner's advocacy for lifting restrictions has been ongoing throughout 2024. In February, he led a bipartisan delegation to Kyiv for discussions with Ukrainian leaders including President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Subsequently, in May and June, Turner sent letters urging the Department of Defense and President Biden respectively, to expedite resources and lift bans on long-range weapons like ATACMS.

In July, Turner returned to Kyiv with another bipartisan delegation for further meetings with officials. By September, he was actively pressing the administration through additional correspondence to eliminate remaining restrictions on U.S.-supplied systems for deeper strikes into Russian territory.

Moreover, in October 2024, Turner requested a briefing from the administration concerning North Korean troop movements into Russian areas.