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US President Joe Biden has made the decision to deploy American long-range missiles, called ATACMS, to Ukraine after careful consideration, according to sources familiar with the matter.
Washington will send missiles armed with cluster munitions instead of single warheads, insiders revealed.
The decision was made before Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s visit to the US, but it was not publicly announced by the Biden administration to avoid tipping off the Russians and causing them to adjust their supply lines.
With a range of up to 300 kilometers (190 miles), these missiles will enable Kyiv to strike Russian forces from a longer distance than previously possible.
The US will initially send the missiles in small quantities, with plans for future deliveries, sources said.
Ukraine has long requested hundreds of ATACMS missiles, including those with single warheads. Concerns over possible escalation of the conflict and insufficient resources for its own needs prevented the US from supplying them until now.
However, after the Pentagon and other agencies approved the deployment, officials expressed confidence in sending the cluster munition variant, as it would not deplete stocks of missiles with single warheads, according to sources familiar with the discussions.
Last Thursday, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan confirmed Biden’s ongoing discussions with military officials, European counterparts, and Ukrainian leaders regarding battlefield requirements and the support the United States can provide, while ensuring its own deterrence and defense needs are met.
Earlier this year, the Biden administration controversially decided to send Ukraine 155mm cluster munitions due to low artillery round stockpiles. This aid package also included air defense systems and additional cluster munitions, with American M1 Abrams tanks to be delivered next week.
Although the ATACMS missiles were not part of the aid package, Biden indicated to Zelenskyy this week that he would consider supplying them, according to a source familiar with the matter.
During its summer offensive, Ukraine has been using British and French long-range Storm Shadow missiles, as well as US Himars guided missiles, to target Russian logistics, weapons depots, and command posts.
Recently, Ukraine’s air force launched two Storm Shadow missiles, striking the headquarters of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet in occupied Sevastopol, Crimea, as part of an escalating air campaign against Moscow’s military presence on the Black Sea peninsula.
ATACMS missiles have an advantage over British and French missiles as they can be fired from Himars launchers, avoiding the limitations of Ukraine’s aging Soviet-era fighter jets.
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