US and Philippine troops fire a High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) during live fire exercises as part of US-Philippines army-to-army joint drills on March 31, 2023 in Laur, Nueva Ecija, Philippines. Philippine and U.S. troops held live-fire exercises aimed at enhancing Manila's defense capabilities against external threats as part of the annual army-to-army drills called 'Salaknib', which involved more than 3,000 troops, and in preparation for the biggest ever joint military drills called 'Balikatan' next month. The upcoming joint exercises will involve 17,600 participants from both sides, including around 12,000 from the United States, and come amid what the Philippines calls "aggressive" Chinese actions in the South China Sea. (Photo by Ezra Acayan/Getty Images) 
By Mike Stone and Humeyra Pamuk
Ukraine plans to conduct its first long-range attacks in the coming days, the sources said, without revealing details due to operational security concerns.
The White House declined to comment.
The move by the United States two months before President-elect Donald Trump takes office on Jan. 20 follows months of requests by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to allow Ukraine's military to use U.S. weapons to hit Russian military targets far from its border.
The change follows Russia's deployment of North Korean ground troops to supplement its own forces, a development that has caused alarm in Washington and Kyiv.
The first deep strikes are likely to be carried out using ATACMS rockets, which have a range of up to 190 miles (306 km), according to the sources.
While some U.S. officials have expressed skepticism that allowing long-range strikes will change the war's overall trajectory, the decision could help Ukraine at a moment when Russian forces are making gains and possibly put Kyiv in a better negotiating position when and if ceasefire talks happen.
It is not clear if Trump will reverse Biden's decision when he takes office. Trump has long criticized the scale of U.S. financial and military aid to Ukraine and has vowed to end the war quickly, without explaining how.
Still, some congressional Republicans have urged Biden to loosen the rules on how Ukraine can use U.S.-provided weapons.
Russia has warned that it would see a move to loosen the limits on Ukraine's use of U.S. weapons as a major escalation.
(Reporting by Mike Stone and Humeyra Pamuk in Washington; Editing by Scott Malone and Lisa Shumaker)