Ukraine is said to be running out of US-supplied long-range ATACMS missile systems in its arsenal amid Russia's dominance on the battlefield.
The AP news agency quoted unnamed U.S. and Ukrainian officials as saying that the U.S. had sent Ukraine a total of about 40 long-range ATACMS. However, officials said Ukraine had used up all its ATACMS missiles by January.
Ukrainian and US officials have not commented on the information.
The US Army's long-range ATACMS missile system fires at an undisclosed location in South Korea in May 2022.
The news comes as the US resumed military aid to Kyiv following talks with a Ukrainian delegation in Saudi Arabia on March 11. It is unclear whether the US will continue to provide ATACMS to Ukraine after resuming military aid.
Ukraine first received older versions of ATACMS with a shorter range in the fall of 2023. By the spring of 2024, the US will begin supplying improved models with a range of up to 300 km. At that time, Kyiv will only be allowed to use these missiles against targets in Russian-controlled Ukrainian territory.
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However, in November 2024, former US President Joe Biden eased restrictions on Ukraine’s use of ATACMS, allowing Kyiv to use them to strike military targets deep inside Russia. Following the approval, Ukraine launched a series of missile attacks on Russian airports, military facilities, and weapons factories.
In December 2024, The New York Times also reported that Ukraine had nearly run out of ATACMS supplies and was limiting its use of this weapon.
Before taking office, US President Donald Trump had publicly criticized the Biden administration’s decision to allow Ukraine to launch long-range strikes into Russian territory with weapons. This raised questions about Ukraine’s ability to continue using ATACMS to strike deep into Russian territory, even if Washington transferred more missiles to Kyiv.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/ukraine-het-sach-ten-lua-tam-xa-atacms-185250313171213212.htm
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