US Secretly Sent Long-Range Missiles to Ukraine in March

The United States secretly sent long-range ATACMS missiles to Ukraine in recent weeks, before congressional approval of additional aid, and these missiles have already been used against Russian targets.

This was reported by Reuters citing an anonymous American official.

According to the news agencies, the ATACMS were part of a $300 million military aid package to Ukraine that US President Joe Biden approved in March 2024. It is separately noted that it is a “significant number” of ATACMS, but the exact number is not specified.

US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan confirmed media reports that Ukraine has already received ATACMS long-range missiles as part of a previous military aid package.

He said this during a briefing at the White House on April 24.

Sullivan confirmed that in February, US President Joe Biden ordered “to transfer a significant number of ATACMS missiles to Ukraine for use within Ukrainian sovereign territory.”

“These deliveries began in March as part of the PDA package (a mechanism that allows the US president to transfer weapons from army warehouses. — Ed.), which the president approved on March 12, and these missiles arrived in Ukraine,” he added.

Biden’s advisor noted that Washington made the decision on ATACMS after Russia used ballistic missiles from North Korea against Ukraine and began massive shelling of civilian infrastructure.

Sullivan also reiterated that the main reason for not providing ATACMS to Ukraine earlier was “concerns about our own combat readiness,” but these were overcome by ordering a significant batch of these missiles from the manufacturer.

“And as a result, we can continue to supply ATACMS while maintaining the combat readiness of American forces,” he concluded.