The week that turned the tide of the Ukrainian war

In this photo provided by Ukrainian Emergency Services on November 19, 2024, rescue teams clear the debris of a residential building destroyed by a Russian attack in Hlukhiv, Ukraine. (Ukrainian Emergency Service/AP)

KYIV, Ukraine — The past week has seen the most serious escalation in hostilities Ukraine has witnessed since Russia’s all-out invasion, marking a new chapter of uncertainty and fear in a nearly three-year war.

The incident began when US President Joe Biden reversed a long-standing policy by allowing Kiev to deploy long-range American missiles on Russian territory, prompting Moscow to launch a new experimental launch that has alarmed the international community and raised fears of further escalation. It ended with him hitting Ukraine with a ballistic weapon.

Here’s a look at the events in a week that fundamentally changed the course of the war in Ukraine:

SUNDAY: US approves attacks using long-range American weapons

Washington has relaxed limits on the strikes Ukraine can deliver with the American-made Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) after ruling out such a move for months out of fear it would escalate the conflict and lead to a direct conflict between Russia and NATO.

The change came after the United States, South Korea and NATO said North Korean troops were inside Russia and deployed to help Moscow remove Ukrainian troops from Russia’s Kursk region. However, the scope of the new dismissal rules was not clear.

MONDAY: Russia warns of escalation if Western weapons are used on its territory

The Kremlin warned that Biden’s decision would further escalate international tensions.

“It is clear that the outgoing administration in Washington plans to take steps to continue fueling the fire and provoking further escalation of tensions around this conflict, and they are talking about it,” spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

TUESDAY: Ukraine fires American long-range missiles at Russia for the first time; Putin lowers nuclear attack threshold

According to widespread reports, Ukraine hit an ammunition depot in Russia’s Bryansk region, firing multiple ATACMS; This marks the first time Kiev has used weapons on enemy territory. Ukrainian authorities have not officially confirmed the attacks, which occurred on the 1,000th day since the invasion.

Also Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin officially lowered the threshold for using nuclear weapons, opening the door to Moscow’s potential nuclear response to even a conventional attack by any country backed by a nuclear power. This could include US-backed attacks on Ukraine

WEDNESDAY: US approves delivery of anti-personnel mines to Ukraine

In the second major shift in U.S. policy, the Biden administration announced it would give Ukraine antipersonnel mines to help slow Russia’s advances on the battlefield. Biden had previously postponed signing this agreement due to international objections to the use of such mines due to their risks to civilians. Russia deploys them freely.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the change in Washington’s policy was necessary to counter Russia’s changing tactics.

Moscow was further angered by Ukraine’s use of the British Storm Shadow missile, the equivalent of the ATACMS system, to hit targets inside Russia.

The United States and several other Western embassies in Kiev were temporarily closed in response to the threat of a possible major Russian airstrike on the Ukrainian capital.

THURSDAY: Russia uses new, experimental ballistic missile for the first time

Putin said the Kremlin fired a new medium-range ballistic missile at Ukraine in response to Kiev’s use of American and British missiles.

In his televised address to the country, the Russian President warned that US air defense systems would be powerless to stop the new missile, which he called Oreshnik (the Russian word for hazel tree), which he said flies at 10 times the speed of sound. Russia’s RS-26 Rubezh intercontinental ballistic missile, which can carry a nuclear warhead.

Putin also said the missiles could also be used to attack any Ukrainian ally used to attack Russia. Moscow gave Washington a 30-minute warning about the attack that hit an arms factory in the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro.

FRIDAY: NATO calls emergency meeting as Ukrainian parliament closes

NATO and Ukraine are planning emergency talks scheduled for Tuesday, the alliance said. The meeting will be held at the request of Ukraine and will be held at the level of ambassadors.

The Ukrainian parliament also canceled its session due to tightened security in the city. Lawmakers said the threat of attacks on government buildings was credible.

Ukraine’s partners weighed in on the dangerous new phase of the conflict. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said the conflict had “entered a decisive phase” and had “reached very dramatic proportions”.

SATURDAY: Zelenskyy says he believes war can be ended next year

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Saturday that he was confident the war could be ended in 2025.

“There are appropriate steps for this, they are included in our peace formula,” he told journalists attending the Grain from Ukraine international conference on food security in Kiev. “We are aware that Russia will not take all these steps. But there is a UN charter and we hope that all our steps based on the UN charter will be supported by our partners.”

“We are open, I say once again, by the way to the leaders of African countries, Asia, Arab states… we are ready to see their proposals,” he said. “I would also like to see the proposals of the new president of the United States. I think we will see these proposals in January. And I think we will have a plan to end this war.”