Image source, EPA

On the battlefield, Ukraine will now be able to strike targets inside Russia using US-supplied weapons.

Ukrainian and US officials expect a counter-offensive by Russian and North Korean troops to regain territory in Kursk, where Ukrainian forces at one time held up to 1,000 sq km of territory. So, Ukraine may use the long-range ATACMS to defend against the assault, targeting Russian positions including military bases, infrastructure and ammunition storage.

The supply of the missiles will probably not be enough to turn the tide of the war, but the weapons may grant Ukraine some advantage at a time when Russian troops have been gaining ground in the country's east and morale is low.

The US authorisation will also have a further knock-on effect: potentially enabling the UK and France to grant Ukraine permission to use their long-range Storm Shadow missiles inside Russia.

Strengthening Ukraine's hand militarily could also potentially grant Ukraine leverage in any peace talks that may lie ahead.

We've focused this morning on the US decision to allow Ukraine to use American missiles on targets inside Russia.

At the same time, Russia has continued its drone and missile strikes on Ukraine. In Sumy, near the Russian border, a Russian missile attack killed at least 11 people overnight, with a further 63 injured.

Firefighters and emergency services have been inspecting damaged residential buildings and searching for survivors.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

A former US special representative for Ukraine negotiations says the change in US policy is long overdue - adding there's nothing in international law that restricts the range of missile use.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Kurt Volker says international law says missiles must only be used in self-defence and on military targets.

"That's what we should have stuck to to begin with rather than creating this kind of made-up limitation that we're now finding awkward to remove," he says.

Today's Amol Rajan puts it to Volker that allowing Ukraine to hit Russia with US missiles is viewed by Vladimir Putin as "direct participation" by Nato in the war.

"He says that about everything," replies Volker. "It is his aggression against Ukraine... he should have anticipated that there would be efforts by Ukraine to fire back."

Volker says the US decision will cause Russia to be more cautious..

"It will allow Ukraine to go after airfields, the ammunition depots and the fuels supplies, logistics that Russia has, which right now are in a sanctuary zone in Russia.

"They will have to spend time and effort protecting those."

Image source, Ukraine Armed Forces

The US first supplied Ukraine with ATACMS missiles over a year ago - but only to be used within Ukrainian territory.

Ukraine has used the US-supplied long-range missiles, with a range of up to 300km (186 miles), in Berdyansk and Luhansk in the country's east, as well as Crimea.

Moscow illegally annexed Crimea in 2014 and just a handful of countries recognise the peninsula as Russian territory.

It therefore did not fall under the US demands that Ukraine refrain from using Washington-supplied weapons to strike Russian territory.

France and Britain have also donated missiles, known as Storm Shadows, under the same restrictions that they only be used within Ukrainian territory.

That restriction is also now expected to be lifted.

Image source, Korean Central News Agency

It is understood that President Biden's decision to allow Ukraine to strike Russian territory with US missiles is a direct response to North Korean troops fighting alongside Russian forces.

Earlier this month, Ukrainian officials revealed that their soldiers had fought North Korean soldiers in the Kursk region of Russia.

In June, North Korea and Russia signed a mutual defence treaty, meaning they would act in each other's aid if attacked.

In a rare phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz told Putin directly that North Korea's involvement was a "grave escalation" of the conflict.

Steve Rosenberg
BBC Russia editor, in Moscow

Image source, Reuters

Russian politicians reacted angrily to reports that President Biden had allowed Ukraine to use long-range US missiles to strike inside Russia.

Russian MP Leonid Slutsky, head of the pro-Kremlin Liberal-Democratic Party, predicted that it "will inevitably lead to a serious escalation, threatening serious consequences".

Senior Russian senator Vladimir Dzhabarov called it "an unprecedented step towards World War III".

Strong words.

But what really counts in Vladimir Putin’s Russia is what Vladimir Putin says.

And, so far, he's said nothing.

He's said plenty before, though. In recent months, the Kremlin has made its message to the West crystal clear: don't do this, don’t remove restrictions on the use of your long-range weapons, don’t allow Kyiv to strike deep into Russian territory with these missiles.

In September President Putin warned that if this were allowed to happen, Moscow would view it as the "direct participation" of Nato countries in the Ukraine war.

Image source, Getty Images

A former commander of US troops in Europe tells the BBC he is relieved about President Biden's change of policy - but that the decision came too late.

"The war could have ended last year, if we had been actually serious about helping Ukraine win," retired US Lt Gen Ben Hodges tells the BBC World Service's Newshour programme.

But he says it is "never too late to fix policy".

"This is how you defeat the Russian advantage of mass, by taking out their artillery headquarters and logistics."

And he ends by saying the decision is a "gift" to President-elect Trump.

"It is leverage that the Biden administration has put in place for him. Frankly I hope he will leave it in place and allow Ukraine to pound away at Russian targets."

Image source, Getty Images

We're now hearing from Mariia Ionova, a member of the Ukrainian parliament.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, she says Ukraine getting permission to strike inside Russia with US-supplied weapons "will not bring a victory" to the country.

Ionova, who is also member of the foreign affairs committee in parliament, says while she appreciates the US decision, more focus is needed on strategy.

"Missiles are not the silver bullet against our common enemies and this is why we're asking our friends that we need a change in strategy," she says.

Ionova says more training, western military instructors in Ukraine, and sanctions are needed.

"Our friends leaders need to be more creative, more brave," she says.

Image source, State Emergency Service of Ukraine

As we've been reporting, authorities in Sumy say a Russian missile struck a residential neighbourhood in the city overnight.

City authorities are now reporting that the death toll and number of people injured has risen to 11 and 63, respectively.

The First Lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska, expressed her condolences in a post on X.

"This is a blow not just to Ukrainians, but to the very concept of humanity. But to everyone who believes that the enemy can be stopped by concessions, not by force," she says.

Image source, State Emergency Service of Ukraine

Ukraine's air defences shot down eight out of 11 drones launched by Russia overnight, the Ukrainian Air Force says.

The Shahed attack drones were shot down over the Poltava, Kharkiv, Cherkasy, Chernihiv and Kyiv regions, while the locations of three others were described as "lost".

Russia also attacked the Sumy region in Ukraine with two Iskander-M ballistic missiles and a Kh-59 cruise missile, the air force adds.

As a reminder, authorities in Sumy say at least 10 people were killed by Russian attacks overnight.

Image source, Getty Images

Sir Keir Starmer said "we need to double down on shoring up our support for Ukraine" as he headed to to the G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro.

The UK prime minister said Ukraine was "top" of his agenda at the summit of world leaders and that "there's got to be full support as long as it takes".

The remarks came shortly before reports that the US would allow Ukraine to use long-range missiles inside Russia.

Image source, X

As a reminder, the US has not formally confirmed its decision to allow Ukraine to use US missiles inside Russia.

But as reports emerged in US media - confirmed by the BBC's US partner CBS - Ukraine's president President Zelensky responded.

After months of Ukrainian requests, a significant momentpublished at 06:43 Greenwich Mean Time 18 November

06:43 GMT 18 November

Paul Adams
Diplomatic correspondent, in Dnipro, Ukraine

This is a significant moment in the war.

Ukraine has been asking for months for permission to use ATACMS (Army Tactical Missile System) inside Russia.

It’s one of the most potent weapons yet provided to Ukraine, capable of firing long range missiles up to 306km.

"This is a very important decision for us," Serhiy Kuzan, Chairman of the Kyiv-based Ukrainian Security and Cooperation Centre, told me.

"It’s not something that will change the course of the war, but I think it will make our forces more equal."

Kuzan said the decision had come just in time to counter the expected start of a major assault by Russian and North Korean troops, designed to dislodge Ukrainian forces from the Russian Kursk region.

The assault is expected within days.

There is another knock-on consequence. President Biden’s decision will finally enable Britain and France to grant Ukraine permission to use long range Stormshadow missiles inside Russia.

This is something Kyiv has also been pressing for, arguing that to prevent Ukraine from hitting targets over the border is akin to tying one hand behind its back.

With a green light from Washington, London and Paris, airfields and key logistics hubs deep inside Russia will now come within Ukraine’s range.

Washington’s decision on ATACMS is couched in terms of being limited to the defence of Ukrainian forces inside the Kursk region.

In effect, the Biden administration is telling Kyiv that it will support its efforts to hold onto the small chunk of Russian territory it currently occupies, as a powerful bargaining chip for any possible negotiations in the future.

In September, Vladimir Putin warned that Nato would be in direct conflict with Russia if Ukraine used long-range Western missiles to strike inside Russia.

That challenge is about to be put to the test.

Image source, US military

Ten people were killed, including two children, when a Russian missile struck a densely populated residential neighbourhood in the north-eastern city of Sumy overnight, according to Ukrainian officials.

Another 55 people were injured in the attack, including eight children, Ukraine's State Emergency Service says.

At least 10 high-rise buildings and vehicles were damaged, the city council of Sumy reports.

Good morning and welcome. We're restarting our live coverage following the news that US President Biden has given the green light for Ukraine to use US-supplied weapons to make limited strikes deep into Russian territory.

The decision is a significant reversal in American policy - the US had feared that it could lead to an escalation in the war. Russia's President Vladimir Putin has yet to comment.

For months, Kyiv has been urging its allies to lift restrictions on the use of long-range missiles. And the US decision should also allow the UK and France to grant Ukraine permission to use long-range missiles they supplied.

Ukraine has argued that allowing the county to use Western weapons inside Russia itself will allow it to target the bases from where Russia has been launching aerial attacks on Ukraine.

On Saturday Moscow launched one of its biggest co-ordinated assaults in months. The attacks continued on Sunday, with officials in the Sumy region, near the border, reporting 10 killed.

Stick with us as we take you through the latest reaction to the move.

Image source, Sumy prosecutor's office

Image source, State Emergency Service Of Ukraine / Reuters

This evening, US media reported that President Joe Biden has approved Ukraine's use of US-supplied long-range missiles to strike Russia.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin hasn't responded yet. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky hasn't confirmed or denied the US approval, but he said "the missiles will speak for themselves".

Last night, a Russian attack on Saturday was the largest on Ukraine since early September, according to authorities and local media.

Zelensky said on Telegram that about 120 missiles and 90 drones were launched.The Russian defence ministry reported that it hit all its targets, focusing on "essential energy infrastructure supporting the Ukrainian military-industrial complex".

This evening, Ukraine's national grid operator Ukrenergo announced temporary power restrictions on Monday due to the damage.

Elsewhere, officials in Sumy, a city in northern Ukraine, reported that another Russian missile strike on Sunday evening killed eight people, including two children.

We'll be pausing our live coverage shortly, but you can read more about how the events unfolded in our detailed report below:

• Biden allows Ukraine to strike inside Russia with missiles
• 'Massive' Russian attack causes Ukraine blackouts

The big question now is how will Putin respondpublished at 22:42 Greenwich Mean Time 17 November

22:42 GMT 17 November

Steve Rosenberg
Russia editor, reporting from Moscow

Image source, Reuters

There doesn't seem to be a sense of surprise here in Russia at reports of US President Joe Biden giving Ukraine the green light to use America's long-range missiles to strike Russia.

So far, the only reaction in Russia is from senior Russian politicians, who are expressing a lot of anger.

The head of a pro-Kremlin party has warned of serious escalation and serious consequences, and a senior Russian senator has described this as a step towards a world war.

But what counts in Russia is what President Vladimir Putin says - and he's not said anything yet.

Over the last few months, Moscow has been sending signal after signal to the West: don't remove your restrictions on the use of your long-range weapons, don't allow Ukraine to strike deep into Russian territory with those weapons.

In September, Putin said if that was allowed to happen, he would view it as the “direct participation” of Nato countries in the war in Ukraine and that it would change the "nature of the conflict".

Putin announced imminent changes to Russia's nuclear doctrine - which is the document that sets the conditions under which Russia may use a nuclear weapon. This was interpreted as sending a message to the West to not let Ukraine use the West's long-range weapons to strike Russia.

It was Biden who made this decision but President-elect Donald Trump will take his place in the White House in January - it may play into Putin's calculations as he tries to decide how he will respond.

War in Ukraine expected to be high on G20 agenda tomorrowpublished at 22:24 Greenwich Mean Time 17 November

22:24 GMT 17 November

James Landale
Diplomatic correspondent, reporting from Rio de Janeiro

Image source, Reuters

The US decision to allow Ukraine to fire its missiles deeper into Russia means the war will rise fast up the agenda at tomorrow’s G20 summit.

Leaders are arriving in Rio for the annual gathering of the world’s most powerful economies.

The Brazilian hosts want to talk about plans to tackle poverty and hunger, boost climate finance and reform international institutions. Yet diplomats now expect the war in Ukraine to dominate more discussions in the margins of this gathering.

All eyes will be on how Sergei Lavrov, Russia’s foreign minister, responds – he is coming to Rio de Janeiro instead of President Putin, who faces the risk of arrest on behalf of the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes in Ukraine.

The Brazilians may dust off their six-point plan for peace that they are pushing along with China.

The complication is that this summit is taking place as the world is in a holding pattern, awaiting the arrival of Donald Trump in January.

The US President-elect is expected to push hard for some kind of political settlement in Ukraine. And the fear among diplomats is that fighting may escalate in the short term as both sides try to improve their positions before any kind of ceasefire.

Once again Ukraine is likely to overshadow another international summit, something that may test the patience of countries which want to talk about other issues such as the climate crisis and global economic reform.

As we cover President Biden's approval of using long-range missiles, officials in a Ukrainian city report that a Russian missile strike on a residential area has killed eight people.

The regional prosecutor's office in the city of Sumy says at least 10 high-rise buildings and vehicles were damaged. They also state that the attack killed eight people, including two children, and that 20 local residents sought medical help.

This attack on Sumy comes after a massive assault Ukraine faced the night before, as we've reported earlier.

Biden's decision has wider repercussionspublished at 22:09 Greenwich Mean Time 17 November

22:09 GMT 17 November

Paul Adams
Diplomatic correspondent, reporting from Dnipro, Ukraine

Image source, Getty Images

There is another knock-on consequence to Biden's decision: It will finally enable Britain and France to grant Ukraine permission to use long range Storm Shadow missiles inside Russia.

This is something Kyiv has also been pressing for, arguing that to prevent Ukraine from hitting targets over the border is akin to tying one hand behind its back.

With a green light from Washington, London and Paris, airfields and key logistics hubs deep inside Russia will now come within Ukraine’s range.

Washington’s decision on ATACMS is couched in terms of being limited to the defence of Ukrainian forces inside the Kursk region.

In effect, the Biden administration is telling Kyiv that it will support its efforts to hold on to the small chunk of Russian territory it currently occupies, as a powerful bargaining chip for any possible negotiations in the future.

In September, Vladimir Putin warned that Nato would be in direct conflict with Russia if Ukraine used long-range Western missiles to strike inside Russia. That challenge is about to be put to the test.