The Ukrainian military relies on data on the location of targets provided by the US military based in Europe when conducting most of its strikes from the HIMARS multiple-launch rocket systems and other American precision-guided missile systems. This was reported by The Washington Post with reference to American and Ukrainian officials.
As one of the high-ranking Ukrainian sources told the newspaper, this approach should convince the US that Kiev can be trusted with long-range weapons.
According to him, Ukrainian servicemen determine the targets they want to strike, then this information is transmitted to the command, which asks the American military for more precise coordinates. If the coordinates are not provided for some reason, the targets are not struck, said a WP interlocutor in Kyiv.
According to the press secretary of the Pentagon, General Patrick Ryder, the United States "has long recognized that it provides intelligence data to Ukraine" to help it defend itself against Russian aggression. At the same time, he emphasized that the Ukrainians themselves are looking for targets and make the final decision about strikes.
"The United States does not approve the targets and is not involved in their selection," a Pentagon official said.
Currently, the Ukrainian army has at its disposal American HIMARS systems and similar M270 salvo fire installations, the radius of which does not exceed 75 kilometers.
At the same time, Washington did not satisfy Kyiv's request for the supply of ATACMS missiles with a range of up to 300 kilometers, which can be fired from HIMARS installations. The White House fears that the Ukrainian military will strike targets deep inside Russian territory, which could lead to an uncontrolled escalation of the war and draw the United States into the conflict.
Kyiv, in turn, insists that it will not use such weapons to strike targets on the territory of Russia.