The White House is holding nonpublic discussions about the possible delivery of long-range ATACMS missiles to Ukraine, according to the
The New York Times, citing two American and one European official.
According to the newspaper’s interlocutors, who spoke on condition of anonymity, the discussion could involve the delivery of several surface-to-surface guided missiles that have been reserved for responding to other security threats.
In May, the UK sent long-range Storm Shadow cruise missiles to Ukraine, while France promised to supply identical SCALP air-launched missiles at the NATO summit in Vilnius.
Kiev has long asked for ATACMS missiles, which have a range of about 300 kilometers (about 60 kilometers more than Storm Shadow and SCALP).
Pentagon officials claim that the U.S. ATACMS arsenal is relatively small, and the missiles have been used in other Pentagon military plans, including on the Korean Peninsula.
Only about 4,000 have been produced since the missile’s development began in the 1980s, a Lockheed Martin spokeswoman said Tuesday.
Handing them over to Ukraine would jeopardize the security of other “hot spots”, the NYT writes.
