loading…
The United States was urged to send long-range ATACMS missiles to Ukraine to counter the Russian invasion. Photo/Lockheed Martin
WASHINGTON – Members of the United States (US) Congress have urged President Joe Biden to provide weapons that are more sophisticated and more lethal to Ukraine, including the ATACMS long-range missile.
Nine members of Congress in a letter to Biden said Kyiv should be given the Army’s Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) to strike targets far away in supply lines Russia.
The bipartisan group, led by Democrat Jason Crow, dismissed concerns that such weapons could escalate conflict or over-deplete the US missile supply.
“We also understand the administration’s desire to retain US stockpiles for future combat, but Ukraine is currently at the forefront of the struggle for freedom in a war with short-term and long-term US national security implications,” the members of Congress said, as quoted by Politico , Friday (9/6/2023).
“The struggle for global peace and security is taking place in Ukraine, and we believe it is appropriate to draw from our existing stockpile of this important capability,” the American politicians continued.
Missiles from ATACMS can engage targets as far as 300 kilometers (190 mi). US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said last July that the Biden administration would not send long-range missiles to Ukraine because such a precedent could trigger a wider conflict if used to strike targets on Russian soil.
However, Britain has since supplied Kyiv with an unspecified number of long-range Storm Shadow missiles.
According to an NBC News report, while the UK has consistently pushed its allies to supply Kyiv with heavier weaponry, none of this has happened without US approval.
Biden’s reluctance to take other potentially escalating steps has come crashing down as the conflict drags on.
