The U.S. began this spring secretly providing Ukraine with long-range Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) at President Joe Biden's direction, U.S. State Department Spokesperson Vedant Patel confirmed at a press briefing on April 24.
The statement was in response to a journalist's question about a Reuters report on April 24 that Washington had covertly shipped Kyiv long-range ATACMS missiles in recent weeks.
"He (Biden) 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 the military aid package we announced on March 12," Patel said. Ukraine received missiles in April, according to Patel.
Washington announced an aid package worth $300 million to Kyiv on March 12 while Congress debated further aid to Ukraine.
Biden instructed his team to secretly include the long-range ATACMS in package for security reasons and "to maintain the element of surprise for Ukraine," Reuters reported, citing an unnamed U.S. official.
The U.S. first delivered mid-range older models of ATACMS missiles to Ukraine last fall, following months of deliberation. The older models have a range of 165 kilometers. Newer models of ATACMS have a maximum range of around 300 kilometers and their delivery to Ukraine was previously unknown to the public.
Kyiv has continued to press its Western allies for longer-range weapons, including the newer ATACMS, but partners have hesitated about delivering arms that could potentially be used to strike within Russian territory.
The Pentagon also raised concerns that sending Ukraine the long-range missiles could damage the U.S.'s military readiness by depleting its own stockpiles, Reuters reported. The U.S. was able to address these concerns in January, leading to the ultimate decision to send them to Ukraine.
Russia's use of North Korean missiles long-range ballistic missiles against Ukraine and attacks on Ukraine's critical infrastructure, influenced Washington's decision to send Kyiv long-range missiles after all, Reuters reported.
It is unknown how many ATACMS were delivered to Ukraine. Kyiv launched some of the recently received missiles on April 17 against a Russian airfield in Dzhankoi in occupied Crimea, located about 165 kilometers from the front line, the U.S. official told Reuters.
Four Russian S-400 launchers, three radar stations, a command post for air defense operations, and air space surveillance equipment Fundament-M were destroyed in the attack on Dzhankoi, according to Ukraine's military intelligence.
President Joe Biden signed the foreign aid bill into law on April 24, which contains close to $61 billion for Ukraine, following months of delays and political infighting in Congress. It also requires the Biden administration to deliver long-range ATACMS missiles to Ukraine when practicable "after the date of enactment of this Act."
In late February, NBC News reported that the White House was ready to provide Kyiv with longer-range ATACMS missile variants if Congress approved a new funding package.
The Pentagon also announced on April 24 that it is ready to move forward with sending $1 billion defense aid package of weapons from U.S. stockpiles to Kyiv. The unveiled list of arms does not include ATACMS.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukraine "finalized" the agreements on ATACMS missiles with the U.S. after a call with Biden on April 22.
