U.S. President Joe Biden has decided to allow Ukraine to strike inside Russia with powerful American weapons for the first time, reportedly in response to North Korean troops joining the conflict, raising new risks of escalation as far as the Korean Peninsula.

Washington officials say Kyiv is likely to use the Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) against Russian and North Korean troops in the Kursk region of Russia, where the Pentagon says 11,000 DPRK soldiers have been deployed.

Ukraine likely believes Biden’s decision could help deter further North Korean deployments, after President Vladimir Zelensky