USA secretly supplies Ukraine with ATACMS missiles, Ukrainian forces used them for first time last week
The United States has been secretly supplying Ukraine with ATACMS long-range missiles in recent weeks, and last week Ukrainian defenders used them for the first time, Reuters reports, citing the words of an American official.
"The missiles were contained in a $300 million military aid package for Ukraine that U.S. President Joe Biden approved on March 12, said the U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity. The official would not say how many of the missiles were sent," according to a report published on the Reuters website on Wednesday.
The official said Ukrainian forces first used the missiles on the morning of April 17, when they struck a Russian airfield in Crimea, which was about 165 kilometers from the front line in Ukraine.
It is noted that the Pentagon initially opposed the transfer of ATACMS to Ukraine, fearing that the loss of missiles from the U.S. arsenal would harm the combat readiness of the U.S. armed forces, and also that Ukraine would use them to attack targets deep in Russia.
However, according to the official, the United States changed its mind after the Russian Federation used ballistic missiles supplied by North Korea against Ukraine in December and January. In addition, the American side also took into account that the target of Russian attacks is the critical infrastructure of Ukraine.
"We warned Russia about those things," the official said. "They renewed their targeting."
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4 of May 2024
