ABC News: US will likely send ATACMS to Ukraine in upcoming aid package
According to U.S. officials, Washington will likely send long-range Army Tactical Missile Systems, or ATACMS, to Ukraine in an upcoming security assistance package, ABC News reported on Sept. 8.
"They are coming," a source told ABC News.
Another official said that ATACMS are "on the table," but that it could take months for the weapons to reach Ukraine.
President Volodymyr Zelensky has been lobbying the U.S. government for the long-range missiles, which can travel up to 190 miles.
While France and the U.K. have delivered long-range Storm Shadow missiles to Ukraine, the U.S. has refused, until now, to send ATACMS. The Storm Shadows have a slightly shorter reach than the U.S.-made weapons.
The two officials who spoke with ABC News also said that the U.S. discovered it had more ATACMS in its arsenal than previously believed.
Concerns over the U.S. supply of weapons were among the reasons the Biden administration rejected Zelensky's bid for ATACMS.
The administration has also cited concerns over unnecessary escalation with Russia. In response, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba pledged that Ukraine would only deploy long-range missiles, including ATACMS, within its own borders.
Earlier this week, on Sept. 6, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Kyiv to announce a new $1 billion military aid package for Ukraine.
The officials who spoke to ABC News had access to upcoming security assistance plans, but said that the final decision on ATACMS is subject to change until a public announcement is made.
