The US State Department confirmed on April 24 that the United States of America (US) had sent long-range missile systems known as ATACMS to Ukraine for use on its territory, and the weapons arrived in the country this month.
State Department spokesman Vedant Patel told reporters that the ATACMS, short for Army Tactical Missile System, were sent at the direction of President Joe Biden.
Patel's confirmation came after US media reports said they were used last week to bomb a Russian military airport on the Crimean peninsula, which Russia illegally annexed in 2014, and Russian forces in another occupied area overnight.
The ATACMS has a longer strike range - up to 300 kilometers - than the 165 kilometer range version of the weapon that the US provided in October. They were part of the aid package for Ukraine in March, not the one just approved by Congress and signed by Biden earlier on April 24.
"We didn't announce it at the outset to maintain the operational security of Ukraine at their request," Patel said.
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters that a "significant number" of missiles had been sent to Ukraine, adding: "We will send more."
He said that Ukraine has committed to use the weapons only inside Ukraine and not in Russia.
The weapons are being sent at a critical time as Russia continues to advance on the battlefield in the eastern Donetsk region. Russia could achieve more results against Ukrainian forces in the coming weeks, Sullivan said.
Patel said Biden instructed his national security team to send the ATACMS stating that they were being used inside Ukrainian sovereign territory.
The Biden administration has refused to send them earlier out of concern that it would risk further escalating the conflict. According to news reports citing unidentified officials, Russia's use of North Korean-supplied long-range ballistic missiles against Ukraine in December and January led to a change of heart. Continued Russian targeting of Ukraine's critical infrastructure was also a factor, the official said.
The military aid bill signed by Biden clears the way for the Pentagon to announce an aid package that includes desperately needed artillery and anti-aircraft munitions.
Air Force Gen. Charles Brown said at a conference in Washington on April 24 that the Pentagon was preparing to send weapons to Ukraine as the bill advanced in Congress.
Ukraine's demand for some weapons, such as the 155mm artillery shells used in howitzers, has outstripped US production, causing US stockpiles to drop.
After the aid package is approved, the United States will be able to increase production of grenades from 30.000 a month to 100.000 by next summer, General James Mingus, the Army's deputy chief of staff, said at a conference at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).
Ukraine has used more than 2 million shells during the 26-month war, he said, a rate of more than 75.000 a month.
"We have risen to a level that will be commensurate with the need," Mingus said.
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