Ukraine runs out of long-range US ATACMS missiles: AP
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Top US defense leaders, including former Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin, had previously emphasized that only a limited number of ATACMs would be supplied to Ukraine.
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In this image provided by the U.S. Army, U.S. Army Sgt. Ian Ketterling, gunner for Alpha Battery, 1st Battalion, 3rd Field Artillery Regiment, 17th Field Artillery Brigade, prepares the crane for loading the Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) on to the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) in Queensland, Australia, on July 26, 2023 (AP)
Ukraine no longer possesses any Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) missiles, the Associated Press reported on Thursday, citing American and Ukrainian officials.
Both a US official and a Ukrainian lawmaker from the defense committee revealed that Ukraine has exhausted its stock of ATACMSs, speaking anonymously due to the sensitive nature of military details.
The US official revealed that fewer than 40 of these missiles were provided by the US and that Ukraine ran out of them by late January.
Top US defense leaders, including former Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin, had previously emphasized that only a limited number of ATACMSs would be supplied and that both the US and NATO allies prioritized other weapons deemed more valuable for the conflict in Ukraine.
It is unclear whether the ATACMSs are part of the upcoming aid packages currently en route to Ukraine, following the recent cancellation of a supply pause.
Last week, Washington halted military assistance to Kiev after a public clash in the White House between US President Donald Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky.
But in Jeddah talks on Tuesday, Ukraine endorsed an American proposal for a 30-day ceasefire with Moscow and agreed to immediate negotiations with Russia -- which prompted Trump to lift the freeze.
In 2024, then-US President Joe Biden authorized Ukraine to use the long-range weapons more extensively, a decision condemned by the Kremlin as a significant escalation of the ongoing war.
Ukraine first used these weapons to strike Russian territory in November after securing approval from both Washington and London. In retaliation, Russia launched a new intermediate-range hypersonic missile, the Oreshnik, and has threatened to do so again. Moscow has stated it will respond with similar actions each time Ukraine targets Russian soil using ATACMSs or British-supplied Storm Shadow missiles.
Russian President Vladimir Putin warned last year that he would target central Kiev with a hypersonic missile if Ukraine continued using long-range Western arms. But Trump has strongly opposed the use of such weapons, arguing they exacerbate the conflict.
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