US hopes ATACMS will change the situation on the battlefield in Ukraine
25 April 2024 12:12
White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said that the United States provided Ukraine with ATACMS long-range ballistic missiles, hoping that they would change the situation on the battlefield. This is reported by the Voice of America, Komersant ukrainskyi 
reports.
Sullivan said that the US would send more ATACMS in the future.
“We have already sent some, we will send more. Now we have additional powers and funds. I will not disclose specific figures for operational reasons. I believe they will make a difference,” he said,
– he said.
He also noted that ATACMS missiles alone will not be a panacea for Ukraine’s victory in the war.
“One tool will not be the final solution. The situation in this conflict will be changed by a combination of capabilities that are combined with the bravery and skill of Ukrainian soldiers. So we think it’s good that we can provide them, but I don’t expect one tool to be the magic tool in this conflict,” Sullivan added.
He also confirmed that US President Joe Biden in February 2024 ordered Ukraine to provide “a significant number of ATACMS missiles for use on the sovereign territory of Ukraine.”
Sullivan said that these missiles have already arrived in Ukraine, but on the condition that Kyiv will not use them to strike Russian territory.
“For a long time, we have been verifying these commitments by the Ukrainian authorities that they have made on other systems, including HIMARS… They have honoured that commitment every time we have provided them with systems, so we are confident that they will honour that commitment again,”
– sullivan added.
He added that the United States now has a significant number of ATACMS missiles being manufactured and delivered to US warehouses.
The White House adviser also noted that the Congressional decision on additional funding for Ukraine came late, and Russia took advantage of this on the battlefield. However, the US believes in Ukraine’s ability to win the war.
As a reminder, on 20 April, the US House of Representatives approved a bill to fund aid to Ukraine. The text of the bill includes, among other things, the supply of ATACMS missiles to Ukraine.
Later, on 22 April, the chairman of the US Senate Intelligence Committee, Mark Warner, said that the US could send aid to Ukraine, including long-range ATACMS missiles, as early as next week.
