President Joe Biden has personally requested the delivery of long-range ATACMS missiles to Ukraine, even before the American Congress approved new aid to Kyiv. The State Department announced that the missiles, also known as MGM-140, were shipped to Ukraine in March as part of the latest aid package.
The inclusion of these missiles in the aid package was not made public for operational security reasons at Ukraine’s request. The use of these highly advanced missiles is crucial for Ukraine’s success against Russia and has been requested by partners for immediate use within its borders.
There were concerns in the past about delivering such missiles to Ukraine due to fears that it could escalate the conflict with Russia. However, Ukraine has now successfully used American ATACMS missiles against Russia for the first time in October, with their long-range capability proving significant in the conflict between Ukraine and Russia.