The United States has sent a long-range Army Tactical Missile Systems, ATACMS, to Ukraine for use within its territory.
Spokesman of the State Department, Vedant Patel said the missiles were sent to Ukraine on the orders of President Joe Biden.
“I can confirm that the United States provided Ukraine with long-range ATACMS at the president’s direct direction,” Patel told reporters on Wednesday.
The long-range missile was part of a March aid package for Ukraine.
But Patel said “we did not announce this at the onset in order to maintain operational security for Ukraine at their request,” adding that the “missiles arrived in Ukraine this month.”
ATACMS missiles can hit targets up to 300 kilometers away.
In 2023, the White House sent a shorter-range variant of ATACMS that can travel 165 kilometers, but the longer-range missiles were a long-standing request from Kyiv.
US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said America plans to send more of the long-range missiles to Ukraine.
“They will make a difference. But as I’ve said before at this podium… there is no silver bullet,” Sullivan said.
