WASHINGTON — Ukraine has started using long-range ballistic missiles for the first time, which were given to them secretly by the United States. They bombed a Russian military airfield in Crimea last week and targeted Russian forces in another occupied area overnight, as per American officials on Wednesday.
The new missiles, a long-time demand of Ukrainian leaders, double Ukraine's striking distance to up to 190 miles, compared to the mid-range version they received from the U.S. in October.
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said, “We’ve already sent some, we will send more now that we have additional authority and money.” The additional ATACMS were part of a new military aid package signed by President Joe Biden on Wednesday.
Biden approved the delivery of the long-range Army Tactical Missile System, known as ATACMS, in February. In March, the U.S. included a “significant” number of them in a $300 million aid package, officials said.
U.S. officials did not disclose the exact number of missiles provided last month or in the latest aid package, totaling about $1 billion.
Ukraine, facing increasing Russian attacks, has had to ration its weapons. The long-range system was highly sought after because it allows Ukrainian forces to strike Russian targets that are farther away, keeping them out of harm's way.
Lawmakers and others had been demanding that the U.S. send weapons to Ukraine, unaware that the delivery had already taken place and was kept under wraps.
The U.S. had been reluctant to send the long-range missiles to Ukraine for months due to concerns about the potential for Ukraine to use them to target deep into Russian territory, potentially escalating the conflict. This concern led to the delivery of the mid-range version in October, with a range of about 100 miles.
Adm. Christopher Grady, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, explained that the decision to provide long-range fires to Ukraine was carefully considered by the White House and military planners, who concluded that the timing was appropriate.
He informed The Associated Press in an interview that the long-range weapons will assist Ukraine in targeting Russian logistics nodes and troop concentrations that are not on the front lines, although he did not specify the exact weapons being provided. He expressed confidence that they would be very disruptive if utilized properly.
