The US secretly supplied Ukraine with ATACMS missiles

The United States secretly supplied Ukraine with long-range ATACMS missiles, Reuters reports , citing an unnamed American official. According to the agency's interlocutor, Kyiv has already used the supplied weapons several times.

The Reuters source did not specify how many missiles were sent to Ukraine. He noted that the missiles were part of a $300 million military aid package that US President Joe Biden approved on March 12. According to the agency's interlocutor, Biden said to include ATACMS in this package secretly to maintain operational security and the element of surprise for Ukraine.

A Reuters interlocutor said that Kyiv used the new ATACMS for the first time on April 17 during an attack on an airfield in annexed Crimea. The second time the weapon was used was against Russian troops in south-eastern Ukraine.

Disputes over whether to send long-range missile systems to Ukraine have continued within the Biden administration for months, Reuters writes. The Pentagon opposed such deliveries: it feared that the loss of these missiles would damage US combat readiness. There were also concerns that Ukraine could use the missiles to attack targets deep inside Russia.

The decision was made after Moscow began using long-range ballistic missiles supplied by North Korea in the war. The decisive factor was Russia's attack on critical Ukrainian infrastructure.

American ATACMS missiles are tactical surface-to-surface ballistic missiles with a range of up to 300 kilometers. They are designed to destroy point targets: command posts, air defense facilities and missile launchers, which are located deep in enemy defenses. The media have already reported on the secret delivery of long-range ATACMS to Kiev in the fall of 2023. Then this was also explained by Biden’s reluctance to warn Moscow about supplies.

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