Washington wants to maintain a certain level of long-range munitions in American warehouses.
Washington cannot supply long-range ATACMS missiles to Ukraine because USA — shortage of shells. The White House is concerned that this amount will not be enough to meet their own needs.
The publication writes about it Politico citing four sources in the administration of US President Joe Biden.
The publication writes that at recent meetings at the Pentagon, US officials told Ukrainian representatives that there are no extra army tactical missile systems. That is why the rollover of ATACMS to the front will lead to a reduction in stocks and even undermine the readiness of the American armed forces for the upcoming hostilities.
One of the officials said that Washington wants to keep a certain level of long-range ammunition in American warehouses.
“With any package, we always take into account our readiness and our own reserves, while providing Ukraine with what it needs on the battlefield. There are other ways to provide Ukraine with the capabilities it needs to strike at targets,” the source said.
Also in Washington, they are concerned that the Armed Forces of Ukraine will use long-range missiles to strike deep into Russia. And, by the way, Moscow threatened that such a result would mean crossing the “red limit” on the part of the United States.
However, it is worth noting that Ukraine has repeatedly noted that in exchange for the supply of such missiles, they are ready to abandon the use of targets in Russia – without specifying whether they include targets in the occupied territories and in the annexed Crimea.
In turn, Ukraine is considering workarounds to obtain ATACMS missiles. In particular, Kyiv can seek Washington’s approval to purchase such projectiles from an allied country using US military funding. South Korea, Poland, Romania, Greece, Turkey, Qatar and Bahrain have missiles of this type.
Recall, the former commander of the ground forces USA in Europe Ben Gojes points out that it is impossible to liberate the annexed Crimea without high-precision long-range weapons. According to him, long-range precision weapons, long-range weapons, “that ATACAMS, F-16, Gray Eagle drones, small-diameter ground bombs” can make it impossible for the Russian fleet, air force or army to stay in Crimea.
Read also:
