The Biden administration is working towards providing Ukraine with powerful new long-range ballistic missiles, according to two U.S. officials, in response to months of requests from Ukrainian officials. Late last year, the U.S. began supplying Ukraine with Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS), but only the older medium-range version has been provided thus far. The U.S. is now considering sending the longer-range ATACMS, which would enable Ukraine to strike farther inside the Russian-held Crimean Peninsula.
However, U.S. funding for arms shipments to Ukraine remains uncertain due to opposition from former President Donald Trump and his Republican allies in Congress. The Senate recently passed a $95 billion foreign aid package for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan, but the approval from the GOP-controlled House is still pending. Pro-Trump Republicans have stated they will approve U.S. military aid to Ukraine only if the Biden administration agrees to a package of GOP immigration and border security measures.
Defense officials have highlighted that the U.S. has a limited inventory of ATACMS and is unlikely to send them to Ukraine without funding to replenish U.S. stockpiles. If Congress approves more funding for Ukraine, the U.S. could include the long-range ATACMS in one of the first packages of military aid paid for with that money, according to the officials. The U.S. also has ammunition and artillery ready to send to Ukraine immediately if the funding is approved.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has emphasized the urgent need for longer-range weapons during his meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Munich. Kuleba stated that Ukraine needs the version of the missile that can fly 300 kilometers or more than 180 miles to effectively target Russian capabilities in Ukraine. He also stressed the importance of European weapons and assistance for Ukraine, urging European allies to speed up production of weapons and ammunition. Kuleba warned that every advance Russia makes in Ukraine brings Russian weapons closer to the home of a middle-class European.
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