The missiles would be longer-range versions of the ATACMS missiles already sent to Ukraine, with a strike distance of about 300 kilometers.
President of the United States Joe Biden and his administration are leaning towards advocating sending long-range missiles to Ukraine, NBC News says, citing official sources.
However, the sending of missiles, like other weapons, is by no means certain. The aid package for Ukraine has been stuck in the US Congress for months. The aid package was approved in the Senate, but for some Republicans in the House of Representatives, it has not worked as it is.
The ATACMS missiles already in Ukraine can hit about 170 kilometers away. With the longer-range versions, the strike distance increases to about 300 kilometers. If Ukraine gets newer versions of the missiles, it could hit Russian troops even more effectively. Long-range weapon systems have been on Ukraine’s wish list for months.
Last Monday, the president of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi said that Russia is using to its advantage the bundling of support for Ukraine. According to him, the situation is very difficult in some places.
– We have a shortage of artillery, air defense and long-range weapons are needed on the front line, Zelenskyi said.
So far, the US has been reluctant to send long-range missiles to Ukraine, fearing the Russian president Vladimir Putin expanding the war.
– We have hesitated too much, too often. Two years ago we were ready to send helmets, now we are giving F-16 fighters. If we had made these decisions faster, perhaps the war would have been different, in charge of the EU’s external relations Josep Borrell said in Munich on Sunday, according to Politico.
Will Germany send its missiles?
Defense officials who spoke to NBC News also did not rule out the possibility that the United States would ask its allies to send missiles to Ukraine.
For example, Germany uses long-range Taurus missiles, which the Chancellor By Olaf Scholz however, the administration has not been willing to send to Ukraine. The strike range of Tauruses is about 500 kilometers.
On Sunday, the chairman of the Defense Committee of the German Confederation, the Free Democratic Party Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann urged Germany to send Taurus missiles to Ukraine, according to Politico. The exit was followed by the opposition leader To Alexei Navalny death last week.
Sources: AFP, Reuters