US inclined to send Kiev long-range missiles after months of promises

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: NBC News
19 Feb 2024 18:43
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Two officials tell US broadcaster NBC News that the missiles could be included in the first military package to Ukraine if the new funding was approved by Congress.

US-made MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile ATACMS being fired during drills with Seoul in South Korea in September 2023 (AFP)

The United States is leaning toward providing Kiev with long-range ballistic missiles, or Army Tactical Missile Systems ATACMS, following in the footsteps of several European countries that had supplied Ukraine with the missiles last year, NBC News reported, citing two US officials.

Russia has repeatedly warned that this would be considered a direct escalation between Washington and Moscow, given the missiles' ability to strike deep inside Russian territory.

Kiev has been asking its Western allies since the start of the war for ATACMS. However, many US legislators opposed the request, warning that it might lead to a direct confrontation with Russia.

Washington delivered medium-range missiles to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, but Kiev insisted that this would not give it an upper hand in the war.

According to the two officials, if Congress approves the new aid for Ukraine, the United States might include ATACMS in one of the initial packages to be sent. They also did not rule out the possibility of Washington requesting its allies to supply such missiles to Ukraine and replenish their own ATACM stockpiles.

'Paying with our lives'

US Defense Department spokesperson said in a statement, “Without a supplemental [funding bill], we do not currently have a security assistance package to give to Ukraine. At the same time, I won’t speculate on the contents of any future packages if a supplemental were to be passed. We will let you know if this changes and if we have a new package to announce.”

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba stated that during his meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on the sidelines of the Munich security conference on Saturday, they primarily focused on Ukraine's requirement for weapons with greater range.

“I just came here from a meeting with Secretary Blinken,” he told reporters. “I spent a very good part of the time arguing in favor of ATACMS,” he said, explaining that Ukraine needs the version of the missile that can fly 300 kilometers or more than 180 miles.

“There is only one way to destroy Russian capabilities in Ukraine. It’s to hit deep into the occupied territories, bypassing Russian radio-electronic warfare and interceptors,” he said.

While praising Kiev's European allies, the Foreign Minister pointed out that EU countries took "too much time to start ramping up or waking up or dusting off their defense industries."

“We will pay with our lives throughout 2024 to give your defense industries time to ramp up production or new lines.”

As of January 15, 2024, the United States has provided Ukraine with $45.4 billion in military aid from February 2022 to December 2023, averaging approximately two billion euros per month. Meanwhile, the European Union pledged 49.7 billion euros in military assistance since the beginning of the conflict but has only delivered or allocated 35.2 billion euros.

Months-long bipartisan disputes have prevented the passing of a bill to provide Kiev with an additional $60 billion financial package. A Congress vote a few days ago failed to reach an agreement, with another vote expected on February 28 following the government's winter recess.