The United States handed over ATACMS long-range ballistic missiles to Ukraine as part of a $300 million aid package in March. This information was confirmed to the Voice of America by Pentagon spokesman Charlie Dietsch, UNN reports.
Details
A senior White House official told Voice of America that the United States provided Ukraine with long-range ATACMS on the president's instructions. Moreover, he confirmed to the publication that Ukraine used these long-range missiles last night.
An administration official said on condition of anonymity that Biden "ordered his national security team to send ATACMS to Ukraine for use on Ukrainian sovereign territory in February," and that the weapons were included in a defense aid package announced on March 12. For security reasons, the transfer was not announced "at Ukraine's request.
According to another Voice of America source, the White House took this step after information that the Russians had purchased and were actively using ballistic missiles from the DPRK against Ukraine. Among other things, the media reported unprecedented Russian attacks on civilian infrastructure in Ukraine.
The White House official also noted that ATACMS missiles, in the opinion of American politicians, will ensure that Russian forces will not be safe anywhere in the occupied territory of Ukraine.
In addition, with the current $1 billion aid package, the Ukrainian Defense Forces will receive the necessary reinforcement to defend against Russian aggression.
Context
Until recently, Washington said it was impossible to provide Ukraine with long-range ATACMS because it raised concerns about the US military capabilities. However, in January, the Pentagon purchased new ATACMS from production, so it was able to transfer these long-range missiles to Ukraine's defense forces from older stockpiles.
Experts have also previously suggested that the provision of ATACMS by the United States would add to the arguments for Germany to send Ukraine long-range Taurus air defense missiles.