Staff Reports
The Biden administration secretly sent long-range missiles to Ukraine in March to help the country fight against Russia’s invasion. A $300 million aid package included the Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) that were sent to Kyiv, as confirmed by White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan.
Sullivan stated that President Biden ordered the shipment of a significant number of ATACMS missiles to Ukraine in February. This shipment began in March under the President’s authorization. The administration had previously only provided Ukraine with medium-range ATACMS, but they decided to send the long-range variant due to Russia’s purchase of long-range missiles from North Korea, which Russia used to attack civilian infrastructure in Ukraine.
Sending increasingly escalatory weapons to Ukraine could end really badly for us.
Meanwhile, there’s no strategy for securing peace in Ukraine.https://t.co/q2CQAmRl1f
— Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) April 24, 2024
Sullivan explained that the administration had worked to address concerns about providing the long-range missiles. They had improved production capacities and were no longer worried about harming U.S. military readiness.
There were also concerns about Ukraine potentially using the long-range missiles to attack Russian territory, but Sullivan stated that Ukraine had committed not to do so. He expressed confidence that Ukraine would keep this commitment.
Overall, Sullivan believes that the long-range missiles will help Ukraine defend itself and could potentially turn the tide against Russia in important regions. He also stated that Ukraine’s ability to defend itself could ultimately discourage Russia from continuing the war.
Sullivan did not provide specific numbers but expressed his belief that the long-range missiles would make a difference in Ukraine’s ability to defend itself.
