Washington quietly handed over to Kiev an unspecified number of long-range ATACMS missiles last month, US officials confirmed earlier this week, after many news agencies said Kiev had begun using ATACMS to attack targets. deeper into Russian territory.
The goal of providing long-range weapons to Ukraine is to increase pressure on Crimea, “Russia’s relatively safe haven at the present time”, NYT quoted an anonymous US defense official as saying.
Previously, in mid-March, the US handed over ATACMS missiles to Ukraine under the framework of a $300 million aid package approved by President Joe Biden.
White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan on April 24 confirmed information that Washington provided ATACMS to Kiev, but he refused to comment on the specific quantity and range of this missile.
According to the station RTLong-range ATACMS is said to be able to engage targets at a maximum distance of 300 km.
On April 17, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his army had raided an air base in Dzhankoy City, Crimea.
The long-range Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) can engage targets at a maximum distance of 300 km. Photo: Reuters
The above statement was made not long after information appeared that Kiev used ATACMS for the first time in an attack on an air base 165 km from the front line.
The Russian Ministry of Defense has not commented on President Zelensky’s statement.
Ukraine first received medium-range ATACMS missiles in September 2023.
President Zelensky earlier this month reaffirmed that he and the Ukrainian government “really want to destroy Russian infrastructure”, including the Crimea bridge.
For his part, Russian Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov on April 25 emphasized that Washington’s handover of long-range ATACMS to Kiev was “unjustifiable”.
He said Washington’s actions “increase the threat to the security of Crimea, including Sevastopol and other Russian cities”.
The Crimea Bridge caught fire after the attack in October 2022. Photo: Reuters
Politico: US completes $6 billion military aid package for Ukraine
The Pentagon may announce a shipment of weapons and ammunition worth up to 6 billion USD to Kiev as early as April 26 (local time) – several unnamed officials confirmed to Kiev. Politico.
This delivery includes ammunition for the Patriot and NASAMS air defense systems, artillery shells and HIMARS missiles, air-to-air missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and anti-UAV weapons, sources said.
Previously, the US urgently transferred weapons worth $1 billion to Ukraine right after US President Joe Biden signed the foreign aid law, including $60 billion for Ukraine, on April 25.
Tags: quietly transferred powerful weapons Ukraine Russian Ambassador upset
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