MOSCOW, October 19. /TASS/. After surreptitiously delivering the first batch of ATACMS tactical missiles to Ukraine, Washington will now supply them to the Kiev regime on a regular basis and in greater numbers, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba said.
"Yes, it does mean this. <...> This is the direct result of agreements between [Ukrainian] President [Vladimir] Zelensky and [US President Joe] Biden in Washington at the end of September," he told Ukraine’s 1+1 TV channel, replying to a question as to whether the delivery of the first batch of ATACMS meant that Kiev will receive them on a regular basis and in even greater numbers.
Replying to the host’s remark that the supplied missiles are not new and were manufactured in 1996, Kuleba urged not to be judgmental. "There is an expression: If you knew what sausage is made from, you wouldn’t eat it," the top Ukrainian diplomat said. "This is not about the year [of production]; what’s important for us is that it can be fired," he explained.
Kiev’s top diplomat also expressed hope that, although this party of ATACMS contains missiles with a range of 165 kilometers, in the future the US will provide Ukraine with missiles with a 300-kilometer range. "We already have all the types of weapons that we wanted at our disposal. Now this is about expanding their number, range and modifications," he said.
Overnight on Tuesday, the Ukrainian army used US-made ATACMS missiles with cluster warheads for the first time; Zelensky confirmed their deployment. CNN reported that the Biden administration had quietly provided the Kiev regime with ATACMS tactical missiles in an attempt to spring a surprise on Russian forces. According to the Russian side, the missiles were used in attacks on Berdyansk, Zaporozhye Region, and Skadovsk, Kherson Region.