In recent times, the United States discretely transported long-range missiles to Ukraine to aid in its conflict against Russian aggressors. According to a US official, Ukraine has already engaged these weapons two times. These missiles were a part of a substantial military aid package worth $300 million (£227 million) that was sanctioned by US President Joe Biden on March 12th. The number of missiles sent, however, remains undisclosed by the official.
Jake Sullivan, the White House national security adviser, disclosed in a press briefing that a significant number of these missiles have been dispatched to Ukraine with intentions for more to follow. Sullivan confirmed that Ukraine’s use of these weapons will be restricted to within its border and not deployed against Russia.
Sullivan also revealed that some of these missiles were from a different weapons package amounting to $1 billion for Ukraine that had been ratified by President Biden.
Ukraine reportedly used these missiles for the first time early on April 17th, targetting a Russian airfield situated in Crimea around 165km away from the Ukrainian front lines. The official added that Ukraine engaged the weapon for the second time overnight, aiming at Russian forces in Southeast Ukraine.
The decision to dispatch the Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) capable of reaching up to 300km had been under discussion within Biden’s administration for a while. ATACMS of shorter range had been sent previously in September.
The Pentagon initially voiced opposition to the dispersion of long-range missiles, expressing fears about the consequent depletion of the American stockpile affecting US military readiness. There were also worries about Ukraine potentially using these to strike deep within Russia.
However, a switch in the decision-making process occurred when Russia engaged long-range ballistic missiles supplied by North Korea against Ukraine during December and January. Even though the US had issued both public and private warnings against this action, the US official informed.
The official further explained that another factor influencing the American decision was Russia’s hostile activity towards Ukrainian critical infrastructures despite their warnings.
Only by late January did the US military find a solution addressing their apprehensions surrounding military readiness, allowing the administration to proceed. The solution involved purchasing new missiles from the production line of Lockheed-Martin.
In a mid-February meeting with his national security team, President Biden agreed to send the missiles to Ukraine, following the unanimous advice of his advisors.
The issue at the time was determining financing for the missile acquisition. America had run out of all monetary resources, with the gridlock in congress obstructing any additional help.
In March, a chance appeared when a number of Pentagon contracts unexpectedly came in below their projected costs. This allowed Biden to redirect the saved funds, amounting to $300 million, to assist Ukraine.
Biden instructed his team to clandestinely incorporate the ATACMS long-range missiles into this support package. According to official sources, this covert action was taken to ensure operational security and provide Ukraine with an unforeseen advantage. – Reuters