War in Ukraine: US secretly sends long-range missiles to help Kiev

Kiev — Ukraine has begun defending territory with long-range ballistic missiles secretly supplied by the United States, US officials have confirmed.

The weapons were part of a $300 million aid package approved by US President Joe Biden in March and arrived this month.

They have already been used at least once to attack Russian targets in occupied Crimea, US media report.

It is not clear how many of the weapons were sent to Ukraine.

The US had previously supplied Ukraine with a mid-range version of the Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS), but was reluctant to send anything more powerful, partly due to concerns about compromising US military readiness.

However, Biden is said to have secretly given the green light to send in the long-range system – which can fire missiles at ranges up to 300 km (186 miles) – in February.

“I can confirm that the United States has provided Ukraine with long-range ATACMS at the direct direction of the President,” State Department spokesman Vedant Patel said.

He added that the US “did not immediately announce this in order to maintain operational security for Ukraine at their request.”

The longer-range missiles were used for the first time last week to hit a Russian airfield in occupied Crimea, Reuters quoted an unnamed US official.

And the new missiles were also used in an attack on Russian forces in the port city of Berdiansk on Tuesday night, the New York Times reported.

Kiev has recently stepped up its calls for Western help as Russia makes steady gains in its invasion.

The news of the weapons deliveries comes after Biden signed a new $61 billion military aid package for Ukraine into law after months of deadlock in Congress.

“Now we will do everything we can to make up for the six months we spent in debates and doubts,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said of the recently approved aid.

“What the Russian occupier has been able to do during this time, what Putin is now planning to do, we must turn against him.”

Zelensky recently warned that a full-scale Russian offensive is expected in the coming weeks, following Ukraine’s loss of the city of Avdiivka over the winter.

Ukrainian officials have previously blamed recent delays in military aid from the US and other Western allies for the loss of lives and territory in the war. – BBC