U.S. changes its position on ATACMS long-range missiles supply for Ukraine

30 June, 2023 Launch of the ATACMS missile from the M270 MLRS. Republic of Korea.

2017. Photo: Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Korea

The United States came close to making a decision to provide ATACMS long-range missiles to Ukraine. U.S. and European officials reported this to The Wall Street Journal. According to European and U.S. officials, providing ATACMS to Ukraine still needs to be approved at the highest level.

At the same time, they claimed they saw signs that the previously reluctant White House had changed its position and came to understand "the urgent need to bolster Ukraine's capabilities on the battlefield in the coming weeks." A high-ranking Ukrainian defense official told The Wall Street Journal that in recent weeks "Kyiv has received positive signs that the U.S. has changed its stance on the supply of ATACMS missiles."

M57 ATACMS missile. Illustration by Shane Deptula

A day before, the Republican senator from the state of Idaho, Jim Risch, said that the probability of the transfer of ATACMS long-range missiles to Ukraine was quite high. Before that, the United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs of the U.S.

Congress supported a bipartisan resolution calling on the Biden Administration to provide Ukraine with ATACMS missiles. Previously, Joe Biden's administration said that they could not give Ukraine ATACMS long-range missiles because the Pentagon itself lacked them. However, after the attempted military coup organized by the founder of the Wagner PMC, Yevgeny Prigozhin, U.S. and European officials agreed they needed to act decisively.

ATACMS missiles are critical to the success of Ukraine's counteroffensive. ATACMS have a range of about 300 km, which allows Ukrainian forces to strike the rear territories held by the Russians.

The ATACMS missile launched from the M270 rocket launcher of the Korean military. Photo credits: alamy

Recently, U.S.

Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said that important support awaits Ukraine from both NATO and the USA. "There are two things that I think are important. One is you're going to see at the NATO Summit a very robust package for Ukraine, political and practical.

I'm not going to get ahead of where we land in Vilnius, but I'm pretty confident in that," he said.