NEW YORK, February 19. /TASS/. The US is leaning toward giving Ukraine longer-range ATACMS missiles that would be capable of striking farther inside Crimea, NBC News reported, citing officials.
According to the report, the US started to supply Ukraine with Army Tactical Missile Systems, known as ATACMS, late last year, but they were the older versions and had a limited range. The US is now leaning toward sending the longer-range versions of the missile, which would allow Ukraine to strike farther inside the Crimean Peninsula, NBC News reported.
The outlook for US funding for weapons shipments to Ukraine remain uncertain "because of opposition from former President Donald Trump and his Republican allies in Congress," the report said.
Defense officials told NBC News that the US has a limited inventory of ATACMS, meaning it is not likely to send them to Ukraine unless there is money to replenish the stockpiles.
If Congress greenlights additional funding for Ukraine, the US could include the longer-range ATACMS in one of the first packages of military aid that the funding will pay for, the US officials said.
"The US also has ammunition and artillery ready to send to Ukraine immediately if the funding is approved," the officials told NBC.
The officials did not rule out that the US could ask allies to transfer the missiles to Ukraine and then replenish their ATACMS inventories.