The United States has delivered about 20 ATACMS surface-to-surface tactical ballistic missiles to the Ukrainian Defense Forces. The New York Times reports this with reference to two Western officials.
"Two Western officials said the United States had sent about 20 missiles to Ukraine," the publication writes.
The missiles were transferred in secret because of fears that Russia could attack the logistics chain during delivery, and the Ukrainian Armed Forces wanted to catch the Russians off guard with a first strike. Even the limited range (165 km) version of the missile is "enough" to reach almost all major Russian bases in the occupied territory of Ukraine, the US government's interlocutors said.
"One of the conditions imposed on the Ukrainians is that ATACMS cannot be used to attack Russian territory, one official said," the NYT noted.
Meanwhile, Russia reacted to the transfer of ATACMS to Ukraine, calling it a "gross mistake" and threatening "serious consequences."
"The White House's decision to send long-range missiles to Ukraine is a gross mistake. The consequences of this step, which was deliberately hidden from the public, will be most serious. Washington has consistently pursued a line of complete curtailment of bilateral relations. The United States continues to push for a direct clash between NATO and Russia," said Russian Ambassador to the United States Antonov.
He claims that ATACMS will not affect the situation on the battlefield.
