WASHINGTON, November 9.—US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has rejected Vladimir Zelensky’s request to prioritize the delivery of ATACMS missile systems to Ukraine over other customers, reports The Wall Street Journal with reference to people familiar with the matter.
Austin told Zelensky that breaking long-standing agreements with other clients would be “too much to ask,” a US official said.
«Ukrainian authorities have requested additional ATACMS missiles, which have a range of up to 200 miles [321 kilómetros]”, and claim that they would allow attacks far behind the Russian front lines,” the newspaper writes, adding that “the Pentagon has been reluctant to send more ATACMS.”
However, the Department of Defense is sending more than 500 interceptors to Ukraine for the Patriot and NASAMS anti-missile systems, which are expected to arrive in the coming weeks, said a senior official in Joe Biden’s Administration. According to the informant, these shipments should cover Ukraine’s air defense needs for the remainder of the year.
The Financial Times reported, citing a former Ukrainian minister, that many Ukrainian officials are concerned about the future of military aid provided by Washington to kyiv.
