Ukraine has begun using secretly US-supplied long-range ballistic missiles against invading Russian forces, US officials confirmed.
The weapons are part of a US$300 million (R$1.6 billion) aid package approved by United States President Joe Biden in March and arrived in Ukraine this month.
Military equipment has already been used at least once to attack Russian targets in occupied Crimea, according to American media.
Biden signed on Wednesday (24) a new aid package worth US$61 billion (R$330 billion) for Ukraine.
The US previously supplied Ukraine with a medium-range version of the Army’s Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS), but has been reluctant to send anything more powerful, in part due to concerns about compromising Ukraine’s military readiness. country in the face of other threats.
However, Biden appears to have secretly approved the deployment of the long-range system — capable of firing missiles at distances of up to 300 km — in February this year.
“I can confirm that the United States provided Ukraine with long-range ATACMS at the direct direction of the President,” State Department spokesman Vedant Patel said.
The US “has not announced [o envio] at first, to maintain Ukraine’s operational security,” he added.
It is unclear how much such equipment has already been sent, but US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said Washington plans to send more.
“They will make a difference. But as I said before, there is no silver bullet,” he said.
The long-range missiles were used for the first time last week to attack a Russian airfield in occupied Crimea, Reuters news agency reported, citing an unnamed US official as its source.
The new missiles were also used in an attack on Russian troops in the occupied port city of Berdyansk overnight on Tuesday (23/4), according to The New York Times.
In recent months, Kiev has increased appeals for international help as its ammunition stocks run out and Russia makes steady gains in battles.
The new American aid package was approved after months of impasse, as there was opposition from some members of Congress.
“It will make America safer, it will make the world safer,” Biden said after signing the measure into law.
Following news of the package, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said: “Now we will do everything to make up for this half a year that was spent in debates and doubts.”
“What the Russian invaders were able to do during this time, what Putin plans, we must now turn against them.”
Zelensky recently warned that a Russian offensive was expected in the coming weeks after Ukraine lost the town of Avdiivka during the winter.
Ukrainian forces have suffered from shortages of ammunition and air defense systems in recent months — and authorities have blamed delays in military aid from the US and other Western allies for the loss of life and territory.
Sullivan said Wednesday that it was “certainly possible that Russia could make additional tactical gains in the coming weeks.”
Since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, tens of thousands of people — mostly soldiers — have been killed or injured on both sides and millions of people have fled their homes.
