The United States has sent long-range ATACMS missiles to Ukraine for use within Ukrainian territory, State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel confirmed.
This signifies a resolution to the long-standing drama between Washington and Kyiv, with the latter persistently urging the US to provide these advanced weapons.
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“The President quietly directed his national security team to send ATACMS to Ukraine for use inside Ukrainian sovereign territory in February. They started moving as part of a military aid package we announced on March 12th and those missiles arrived in Ukraine this month,” Patel said.
He added that the US did not announce this development for operational security reasons and at the request of the Ukrainian government.
On 24 April, President Joe Biden signed a $61 billion Ukraine military aid bill into law, capping months of intense negotiations amid a split among congressional Republicans.
The Pentagon followed up on Biden's signing by announcing a $1 billion aid package for Ukraine.
AP’s sources said more ATACMS missiles to be provided in the new military aid package the Pentagon announced on Wednesday.
While the Pentagon’s latest aid list does not explicitly mention ATACMS, the “additional ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS)” could imply the long-range ATACMS variants.
Read more:
- US secretly supplies Ukraine with long-range ATACMS missiles - media
- Pentagon officially announces rumored $1 bn military aid for Ukraine
- Ukrainian President grateful for US support, emphasizes need for swift action
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