President Joe Biden has agreed to send anti-personnel land mines to Ukraine, a U.S. official said. These mines are meant to help Ukraine stop Russian soldiers from advancing, especially in the eastern areas, by working alongside other weapons provided by the U.S.

The U.S. expects Ukraine to use these mines only in its own land and not in places where its civilians live, the official said. The Washington Post was the first to report this news, which is an important step in the U.S. providing more military help to Ukraine.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the Ukrainian defence ministry, and Russian officials, including the Kremlin, did not immediately comment on the news.

U.S. boosts Ukraine's ID with mines and missiles

The United States had earlier given Ukraine anti-tank mines to fight against Russian forces. Now, they are also providing anti-personnel mines to help stop Russian soldiers from moving forward. A U.S. official explained that these mines are different from the ones Russia uses. They are "non-persistent," which means they stop working after a set time. These mines need a battery to explode, and once the battery runs out, they become safe and won’t detonate.

In another update, Ukraine used U.S.-provided ATACMS missiles on Tuesday to hit Russian land. This was the first time Ukraine was allowed to use these long-range missiles from Biden’s government, and it happened on the 1,000th day of the war.

Moscow reacted strongly, with Russian President Vladimir Putin lowering the threshold for nuclear strikes. Putin warned that if NATO members like the U.S., Britain, and France continued to supply missiles capable of reaching deep into Russia, Moscow would view them as direct participants in the war.