US quietly loosens leash on Ukraine, shares intel to enable some deep strikes into Russia
A British-made Storm Shadow cruise missile on display in 2023. AP
WASHINGTON — The United States quietly authorized Ukraine to use American intelligence to strike targets inside Russian territory with British-supplied long-range missiles earlier this week, multiple sources told The Post.
A Storm Shadow cruise missile — a UK-made weapon — hit a Russian explosives and rocket fuel facility in the Bryansk region on Tuesday, near the borders of Ukraine and Belarus. According to Ukraine’s General Staff, the strike successfully penetrated Russia’s air defense network.
The Storm Shadow has a range of about 180 miles, far less than the American Tomahawk missile’s range of up to 1,500 miles. Although the missile was not American, U.S. intelligence played a crucial role in selecting the target, a defense official confirmed.
Under new intelligence-sharing guidelines, Ukraine is now able to bring the fight deeper into Russian dictator Vladimir Putin’s territory. The policy shift comes as President Trump continues to press Moscow to take meaningful steps toward ending the conflict.
The change was not publicly announced but followed a quiet transfer of authority for approving cross-border strikes — from War Secretary Pete Hegseth to Air Force Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, the top U.S. and NATO commander in Europe, according to a senior congressional aide familiar with the decision.
Earlier in President Trump’s term, the Pentagon had imposed strict limits on Ukraine’s ability to strike inside Russia. For months, Hegseth held final approval power over any cross-border attacks involving Western weapons, effectively pausing such operations. That authority was restored to Grynkewich earlier this month, marking a subtle but significant shift in U.S. policy.
While the Trump administration has increased pressure on the Kremlin to negotiate, it has also taken concrete steps to weaken Putin’s war economy. On Wednesday, President Trump ruled out providing Ukraine with U.S.-made Tomahawk missiles but announced new sanctions targeting two of Russia’s key oil exporters — a direct blow to the financial lifeline of Putin’s regime.
Ukraine, meanwhile, has continued striking Russian oil refineries and depots using domestically built drones and shorter-range missiles. Those operations have been supported by U.S. targeting data — an authorization already granted by President Trump.
Washington also recently approved the sale of more than 3,300 Extended Range Attack Munition (ERAM) missiles to Kyiv, each capable of reaching targets up to 280 miles away — further expanding Ukraine’s long-range strike capabilities.
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