The US Secretly Sends LONG-range ATACMS Missiles To Ukraine, It's Been Used Twice In The Battlefield

Illustration of ATACMS MGM-140 and Hyunmoo-2 missile launch drills by the US and South Korean Armys. (Wikimedia Commons/Sinthia Rosario)

JAKARTA - The United States has secretly delivered long-range missiles to Ukraine for use in fighting against Russia in recent weeks, twice used in attacks, an official said Wednesday.

The missiles were included in the US$300 million military aid package for Ukraine approved by US President Joe Biden on March 12, US officials who did not want to be named, without specifying how many missiles the official sent did not say b.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters, confirming "a large number" of missiles had been delivered to Ukraine and saying "we will send more," Reuters reported April 25.

He said Ukraine had committed to using only weapons in Ukrainian territory, not in Russia.

Some of the missiles were included in a $1 billion worth of weapons packages for Ukraine approved by President Joe Biden on Wednesday, Sullivan said.

The missiles were used for the first time in the early hours of April 17, launched to a Russian airfield in Crimea about 165 km (103 miles) from Ukraine's front line, the official said.

The official said Ukraine used the weapon for the second time overnight against Russian troops in southeastern Ukraine.

Delivery of Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) with a range of up to 300 km has been the subject of debate in President Biden's Administration for months. Previously, mid-range ATACMS was supplied last September.

The Pentagon initially opposed the deployment of long-range missiles, fearing the disappearance of missiles from American supplies would disrupt US military readiness. There are also concerns that Ukraine will use it to attack targets far away in Russian territory.

The use of North Korea's long-range ballistic missiles against Ukraine in December and January, despite warnings from the US and the private sector not to do so, made Russia change its mind, the US official said.

One of the factors in US decision making is Russia's targeting of Ukraine's important infrastructure, the official said.

"We warned Russia about those things," the official said. "They updated their targets," he said.

In late January, the US military found a way to satisfy their concerns about military readiness, allowing the government to move forward. They began acquiring new missiles from Lockheed-Martin.

President Biden met with his national security team in mid-February and agreed to accept unanimous recommendations from his advisers to send missiles to Ukraine. Those involved in the discussion were national security adviser Jake Sullivan, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Joint Chiefs of Staff General CQ Brown.

The challenge at the time was to find ways to pay for the missile. The United States has run out of all its funding options and congressional bottlenecks are blocking further aid.

An opportunity emerged in March, when several Pentagon contracts entered the bid. President Biden could use his difference to deliver aid of USD 300 million to Ukraine.

President Biden told his team to put long-term ATACMS into this funding package, but did so secretly in order to maintain operational security and a surprise element for Ukraine, the official said.