Politico: The United States refused to supply Ukraine with long-range ATACMS missiles
Politico newspaper posted a reported stated that Washington refused to provide Kiev with long-range ATACMS missiles, for fear of depleting its stocks.
According to the report, the United States has only 4,000 missiles of this type.
Politico newspaper quoted White House officials as saying, “Kiev has been told that sending such weapons would deplete US arsenals and undermine US military readiness in the event of future conflicts”.
“As part of any military assistance package, we always assess our combat readiness and our own arsenal while providing Ukraine with what it needs on the battlefield,” a Pentagon spokesperson told Politico, noting that there are other ways to give Ukraine the capabilities it needs to strike its targets.
Last December, the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on NATO to provide his country with long-range missiles and military aircraft.
The US Department of Defense announced, on February 3rd, the provision of new security assistance to Ukraine worth $2.2 billion, in order to enhance the ability of the Ukrainian forces to confront the Russian army.
The ATACMS missiles are long-range guided missiles developed by the US Lockheed Martin company, and can be used, among other things, in multiple missile launch systems such as the M270 MLRS and M142 HIMARS.
The latest versions of these missiles can hit targets up to 310 kilometers away with an accuracy of up to on meter.
According to Politico, only 4,000 missiles of this type were produced.
The administration of US President Joe Biden is concerned that the Ukrainian armed forces will begin targeting the Russian rear, which could lead to an escalation of the conflict.
Earlier, the White House National Security Adviser, Jake Sullivan, announced that Biden isn’t ready to deliver missiles to Ukraine with a range of 300 kilometers, in light of his efforts to avoid a third world war.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said, “Ukraine won’t target Russian territory with new US weapons”.
Since the launch of the Russian military operation in Ukraine, on February 2022, Russia has repeatedly condemned and criticized Western supplies of weapons and military equipment to Kiev.
