Change of heart Will the missile crisis affect the course of the war?

In Kyiv, as autumn turns fast to winter, Ukrainians in the government describe a vacuum before the arrival of Donald Trump in the White House on 20 January.

- Dan Sabbagh KYIV

"Trump has said he wants to end the war within 24 hours. Nobody is more interested in this topic than Ukraine," a senior official told the Guardian. "But the problem is, for the moment, everything is just speculation."

Ukraine is in "a difficult but not catastrophic position" and has little choice but to fight on and perhaps show Trump that backing Kyiv is not a losing bet.

What helped last week was an 11th-hour change of heart by the current US president, Joe Biden, whose White House briefed that the US would allow its Atacms missiles, with a range of 300km, to be used against targets inside Russia. Ukraine had been asking for permission for years, arguing that it has been unable to hit barracks, airfields and logistics sites in the Russian rear.

"Finally, at the end of Biden's term, the White House is more helpful. But it can't compensate for delays in previous years," the official said. Russia now holds the initiative in large parts of the eastern front, where it is gradually swallowing the town of Kurakhove.