US begins arms shipment to Kyiv

WASHINGTON: The US has secretly delivered long-range ballistic missiles to Ukraine to be used against Russian forces, the Pentagon has confirmed, while President Joe Biden alleged that China, Iran and North Korea were supplying weapons and technology to Moscow to boost its military.

President Biden secretly approved the transfer of the long-range ATACMS missiles in February for use inside Ukrainian territory. The ATACMS missiles were then quietly included in the $ 300 million aid package announced on March 12 and ultimately delivered to Ukraine earlier this month, according to Pentagon spokesman Lt. Col. Garron Garn said on Wednesday.

“It was not announced that we are providing Ukraine with this new capability at the time to maintain operational security for Ukraine at their request,” Garn said, deferring questions about their use to Ukraine’s military.

The US previously supplied Ukraine with a midrange version of the Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) but had been reluctant to send anything more powerful, partly over concerns about compromising US military readiness. The ballistic missiles have a range of up to 300 kilometres, nearly doubling the striking distance of Ukraine’s missiles.

President Biden directed his team to take this step following Russia’s procurement and use of North Korean ballistic missiles against Ukraine, according to US media outlets. Ukrainian officials have been urging the US for the long-range missiles to target deeper behind Russian lines. American officials have previously resisted, citing supply issues .