Biden nears final decision on supplying Ukraine with long-range missiles − Financial Times
Photo: The Office of the President of Ukraine
The head of the United States of America, Joe Biden, is close to deciding on transferring ATACMS long-range missiles to Ukraine.
Financial Times reports this.
"The decision may be made shortly," said one of the high-ranking employees of the Biden administration.
Biden has faced mounting pressure from both sides of the political spectrum in the US Congress to approve the transfer of long-range missiles to Ukraine.
Deliveries of ATACMS systems to Ukraine fit into the scheme of military support for Ukraine by the US. Washington did not immediately provide Kyiv with everything it required but acted based on its own assessment of military needs at the moment.
US military aid
American Abrams tanks are due to arrive in Ukraine shortly, and the US has begun training Ukrainian F-16 fighter pilots after permitting several European countries to transfer the planes to Kyiv.
The USA also decided to send cluster munitions to Ukraine to strengthen the country's artillery potential.
About ATACMS
ATACMS tactical missile systems are surface-to-surface missiles with a range of about 300 kilometers, roughly four times the range of the missiles used by the mobile HIMARS systems that the US began sending to Ukraine last year.
In April, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Mark Milley, said that the United States would not supply Ukraine with long-range ATACMS missiles but was considering other options to give Ukraine's armed forces more capabilities on the battlefield.
However, at the end of May, US President Joe Biden officially announced the replacement of US Chief of Staff Mark Milley with Charles Brown.
At the same time, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba discussed the possible supply of long-range ATACMS missiles with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and noted that "this option remains open."
For reference:
The Ukrainian military and political leadership emphasized that the Armed Forces needed long-range weapons to win the war. The partners did not want to provide Ukraine with such weapons for a long time. They feared that the military could use it to attack the territory of the Russian Federation.
However, as Rubryka wrote, recently the rhetoric of the US regarding ATACMS has changed. In particular, American congress members submitted a resolution to the parliament calling on the Biden administration to provide Ukraine with these missiles.
Rybruka also informed that Ukraine received Storm Shadow long-range missiles from Great Britain. The Ministry of Defense notes that the missiles hit 100% of all targets identified by the Armed Forces General Staff.
