Washington D.C./17.10.23/Turan: The Biden Administration on Monday confirmed that it has recently provided Ukraine with a type of ATACMS "capable of ranging out to 165 km," as the White House National Security Council (NSC) spokesperson put it, TURAN's Washington correspondent reports.
"We believe this will provide a significant boost to Ukraine’s battlefield capabilities without risking our military readiness," a spokesperson told TURAN.
Debate over whether to provide Ukraine with ATACMS had persisted for months.
President Biden in May for the first time left door open for Ukraine to receive long-range missile systems, telling TURAN's Washington correspondent that sending ATACMS to Ukraine was "in play".
The White House gave its final greenlight to it late this summer, and related the news to President Volodymyr Zelensky last month.
Ukraine yesterday used the weapons to target Russian helicopters. President Zelensky announced the news in a video, saying that agreements with President Biden were being "implemented very accurately."
"ATACMS have proven themselves," he said.
While the move was welcomed as a "positive step" in the U.S. Congress, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Michael McCaul expressed disappointment in the delay.
"Waiting to supply these weapons only after many months of Ukraine’s counteroffensive is utterly nonsensical," McCaul said in a statement.
Alex Raufoglu
Politics
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