U.S. Says 'Quietly' Sent Long-Range ATACMS Missiles To Ukraine

The United States said on Wednesday it has 'quietly' sent long-range Army Tactical Missile Systems, or ATACMS, missiles to Ukraine for use inside its territory, and the weapons arrived in the country this month, TURAN's Washington correspondent reports.

“I can confirm that the United States provided Ukraine with long-range ATACMS at the President’s direction. He quietly directed his national security team to send ATACMS to Ukraine for use inside Ukrainian sovereign territory in February,” State Department's Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel told a daily briefing when responding to TURAN's questions.

The news comes the same day President Biden signed into law a national security package that includes roughly $61 billion for Ukraine and the White House announced an additional $1 billion package for Kyiv Wednesday afternoon.

However ATACMS were part of a March aid package for Ukraine, not the one just approved by Congress.

"We did not announce this at the onset in order to maintain operational security for Ukraine at their request,” Patel went on to explain, adding that the “missiles started moving as part of the military aid package we announced on March 12th, and those missiles arrived in Ukraine this month."

Some ATACMS missiles can hit targets up to 300 kilometers away, and Pentagon officials confirmed that was the long-range variant supplied to Ukraine.

When asked by TURAN how Washington will determine what kind of weapons should Ukraine get in the coming months to make a tangible change, Patel said, he wouldn't speculate on forthcoming drawdowns and security systems or assets, only to add that the latest $1 billion package was "incredibly helpful."

"And our message to our Ukrainian partners is that this assistance is on the way and that our commitment to their defense is unwavering," he added.

At the White House, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters Wednesday afternoon that a "significant number" of the ATACMS missiles had been sent to Ukraine, adding, "We will send more."

“They will make a difference. But as I’ve said before at this podium… there is no silver bullet,” Sullivan added.

According to media reports Wednesday evening, Ukraine for the first time has begun using long-range ballistic bombing a Russian military airfield in Crimea last week and Russian forces in another occupied area overnight.

In the meantime, Sullivan cautioned that even as new U.S. aid flows into Ukraine, it’s possible that Russia will continue to make tactical gains in the weeks ahead. “The fact is that it’s going to take some time for us to dig out of the hole that was created by six months of delay,” he said.

Biden, upon signing the aid package Wednesday morning, stressed that Russia uses its military to target civilian infrastructure, highlighting the need to boost Kyiv’s firepower.

"They’ve killed tens of thousands of Ukrainians,” Biden said, “bombed hospitals … kindergartens, grain silos, tried to plunge Ukraine into a cold dark winter.”

In the meantime, he went on to add that, Ukrainians are "a fighting force with the will and the skill to win".

"We don’t walk away from our allies; we stand with them," Biden added.  "We don’t let tyrants win; we oppose them.  We don’t merely watch global events unfold; we shape them."

"We bow to no one, to no one, certainly not Vladimir Putin," Biden emphasized.