White House officially confirms providing Ukraine with ATACMS missiles
On Tuesday 17 October, the White House officially confirmed that Ukraine recently received long-range ATACMS missiles in a modification that has a range of 165 kilometres.
Source: comment by Adrienne Watson, representative of the US National Security Council, cited by European Pravda
Details: It is noted that the United States recently gave Ukraine a type of ATACMS that boasts an effective range of 165 kilometres.
Quote: Watson stated that the US believes this will provide a significant strengthening of Ukraine's capabilities on the battlefield without putting their own combat readiness at risk.
She did not specify exactly how many missiles were provided or when the United States sent them to Ukraine. Nor did the official comment on their use at airfields in Luhansk and Berdiansk, both of which are temporarily occupied by Russia.
During his evening address on Tuesday 17 October, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also confirmed that Ukrainian forces had used American ATACMS long-range missiles.
Ukraine has been asking the United States for long-range weapons for months in order to hit Russian forces in the rear, but Washington has refused because of fears of escalation by the Russian Federation and a shortage of these missiles for the American military.
Britain and France, however, provided Kyiv with their own long-range Storm Shadow and SCALP missiles in the summer, which Ukrainian forces have used effectively in the temporarily occupied territories, in particular Crimea.
According to Politico, the White House made the final decision to provide ATACMS long-range missiles to Ukraine in late August, and sent them as part of a military aid package announced on 21 September.
At the same time, the United States announced a package of military assistance to Ukraine in which long-range missiles appeared as cluster munitions.
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