WASHINGTON, July 23. /TASS/. Washington so far has no plans to provide Ukraine with Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS), The Washington Post reported, citing US officials.
According to the officials, "the Biden administration is holding firm, for now at least, on its refusal to send long-range Army missiles to Ukraine despite mounting pressure from US lawmakers and pleas from the government" in Kiev.
The newspaper pointed out that "disappointment at the slow pace of Ukraine’s counteroffensive against entrenched Russian forces and a newly equivocal tone by President Biden have led to widespread speculation that the missiles will soon follow the path taken by other US weapons systems."
However, US defense and administration officials familiar with the issue told the paper that "there has been no change in US policy and no substantive discussion about the issue for months." According to the officials, the Pentagon believes that Kiev "has other, more urgent needs than ATACMS, and worries that sending enough to Ukraine to make a difference on the battlefield would severely undercut US readiness for other possible conflicts."
US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said earlier that Washington was in discussions with Kiev on possible ATACMS supplies but no decision had been made yet.