The Biden administration last month secretly shipped long-range missiles to Ukraine for the first time to enable Ukrainian forces to strike farther into Russian-seized areas in Ukraine, according to a report.
Politico reported Wednesday that the U.S. approved the transfer of “a number” of Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS), which Ukraine had been asking for for years due to its longer range of nearly 200 miles. The Biden administration had been unwilling to approve them before, out of concern for its own domestic supplies and that Ukrainian forces could strike into Russia and provoke a response.
However, now that Congress has approved a $61 billion aid package to Ukraine, the Biden administration plans to send more in a new $1 billion aid package, according to the outlet.
According to the report, Ukrainian forces have already used the missiles twice, once against a Russian military base in Crimea — which Russia annexed in 2014 –and more recently against Russian forces near the Sea of Azov.
The new aid package will also include Stinger anti-aircraft missiles, 155mm artillery rounds, Bradley Fighting Vehicles, Javelin anti-tank systems, and Claymore anti-personnel munitions.
The report said Russia’s increasingly brutal tactics and more production convinced President Joe Biden to authorize the transfer. Those tactics included striking Ukraine’s energy grid, and using North Korea-provided missiles.
An official told Politico the administration believed that providing Ukraine ATACMS would give Ukraine some new momentum in the war, and to threaten Crimea, which Russia uses to resupply its forces and host its Black Sea Fleet.
The official suggested the weapons alone would not “change the character of the battlefield” but said Ukraine now has something in their toolkit that “creates impact” and “gives them an advantage.”
Even with the new aid, the Biden administration is skeptical it is enough for Ukraine to win the war, according to another report from Politico.
“The immediate goal is to stop Ukrainian losses and help Ukraine regain momentum and turn the tide on the battlefield. After that, the goal is to help Ukraine begin to regain its territory,” an official told the outlet. “Will they have what they need to win? Ultimately, yes. But it’s not a guarantee that they will. Military operations are much more complicated than that.”
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