Ukraine appears to be one step closer to obtaining the US-produced Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) short-range ballistic missiles, which can hit targets around 200 miles away with a significantly more powerful kinetic punch than any other weapon Precision-guided missiles from the current Kyiv arsenal.
“Ukrainian Major General Kyrylo Budanov outlined to The War Zone Kyiv’s timetable for obtaining the long-range weapons system that the Biden administration has so far refused to provide. Budanov’s opinion comes after The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday that Kyiv had recently received “positive signals” from Washington of such a transfer.
“Kyiv had received positive signals in recent weeks that the United States had changed its mind about the ATACMS system,” the Journal said a senior Ukrainian defense official had told it.
Ukraine has long sought the ATACMS to strike deeper into Russian-held territory, particularly targets in the Crimean peninsula occupied since 2014. In addition to being a base for launching drone strikes, the peninsula is also home to Russia’s Black Sea Fleet and various air bases and serves as a symbol of Vladimir Putin’s imperialist intentions. Being able to strike targets in Crimea could help Kyiv achieve its long-stated goal of liberating it along with the rest of the country still occupied by Russia.
The value of these long-range attack weapons was probably demonstrated on June 22, when the Chongar Bridge, a key span linking Crimea and Kherson Oblast, was hit. Russian authorities claimed the bridge had been hit by a UK-supplied, conventionally armed, air-launched Storm Shadow cruise missile.
Those weapons, with an officially claimed range of at least 155 miles (the non-export configuration is nearly double that), were recently praised by British Defense Minister Ben Wallace for their effectiveness.
But the ATACMS can hit even hardened targets far away, including the Kerch Bridge, the prized $4 billion stretch linking Crimea to Russia that came under attack last fall.
“Officials said the matter is pending approval at the highest levels, and deliberations could continue while the United States assesses the situation on the ground in Ukraine,” the Journal reported. “Officials in the US and Europe have seen signs, however, that previously reluctant sections of the US government, particularly the White House, have come to see an urgent need to step up Ukraine’s fight in the coming weeks.”
The Pentagon said Thursday that nothing was imminent about the delivery of ATACMS to Ukraine.
“I have nothing to announce regarding ATACMS, and I am certainly not aware of any impending decisions regarding ATACMS,” Air Force Brigadier General Pat Ryder, the Pentagon’s top spokesman, said to journalists.
The Biden administration has expressed three main doubts when it comes to providing ATACMS to Ukraine. One is concern that Kyiv will use them against targets on Russian soil, something it has repeatedly stated it would not do. Another is the question of how many the United States has as it weighs its need in possible future conflicts. It is also very worrying that the delivery of ballistic missiles to Ukraine is seen as a major escalation and could widen the war.
The post Is US close to sending ATACMS and cluster munitions to Ukraine. appeared first on MilitaryView.