Sullivan: US arms Ukraine with “significant number” of ATACMS missiles

This followed Russia's use of North Korean ballistic missiles against Ukraine.

Apr 25, 2024 - 07:06

Sullivan: US arms Ukraine with "significant number" of ATACMS missiles

The US has provided Ukraine with a ‘significant number’ of ATACMS missiles, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan announced.

This signifies a resolution to the long-standing drama between Washington and Kyiv, with the latter persistently urging the US to provide these advanced weapons.

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“I am able to confirm as you’ve heard from others that in February the President directed his team to provide Ukraine with a significant number of the ATACMS missiles for use inside Ukrainian sovereign territory,” said Sullivan.

He added that this transfer followed Russia’s use of North Korean ballistic missiles against Ukraine and increased attacks on civilian infrastructure.

Earlier, State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel confirmed that the US has sent some long-range ATACMS missiles to Ukraine.

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“The President quietly directed his national security team to send ATACMS to Ukraine for use inside Ukrainian sovereign territory in February. They started moving as part of a military aid package we announced on March 12th and those missiles arrived in Ukraine this month,” Patel said.

He added that the US did not announce this development for operational security reasons and at the request of the Ukrainian government.

On 24 April, President Joe Biden signed a $61 billion Ukraine military aid bill into law, capping months of intense negotiations amid a split among congressional Republicans.

The Pentagon followed up on Biden’s signing by announcing a $1 billion aid package for Ukraine.

AP’s sources said more ATACMS missiles to be provided in the new military aid package the Pentagon announced on Wednesday.

While the Pentagon’s latest aid list does not explicitly mention ATACMS, the “additional ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS)” could imply the long-range ATACMS variants.

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