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Re: US Nazis agree to send long-range missiles to Ukraine in military boost for Kyiv
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China Biden
Sep 24, 2023, 12:15:03 AM9/24/23
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In article <ueiuk9$3tktp$1...@dont-email.me>
US president Joe Biden has decided to supply Ukraine with long-range
army tactical missile systems (ATACMS), an important boost to Kyiv’s
capacity to target Russian military logistics at long range
distances as the country prepares for a second winter at war.
Biden told Ukraine’s leader Volodymyr Zelenskiy in a private meeting
that a small number of the weapons would be transferred, NBC
reported, citing US officials.
Ukraine has been asking for ATACMS for months. Officials in the US
were reluctant as the country’s own stockpile is limited and because
of fears Russia could accuse Washington of escalation.
But Ukraine will commit not to target Russian territory with them
and a waiver allowing the transfer of cluster munitions to Ukraine
has expanded the number of potential missiles that could be used
there, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Fired from a mobile launcher, ATACMS can hit targets up to 190 miles
(300km) away, allowing Ukrainian forces to strike far beyond the
front lines. Potential targets include command headquarters, weapons
depots and supply networks, including railways.
Asked about reports that Biden had shifted his position, Zelenskiy
did not directly respond, saying only that the US was Ukraine’s
biggest weapons supplier, Reuters reported.“We are discussing all
the different types of weapons – long-range weapons and artillery,
shells with the calibre of 155mm, then air defence systems,”
Zelenskiy told a press conference during an official visit to
Canada.
Ukraine’s acquisition of the ATACMS is the latest in a long-running
and largely successful campaign to push western allies for more
advanced weaponry, which has been bolstered by Ukrainian military
successes on the ground.
When Russia invaded last year, guided anti-tank missiles were among
the most hi-tech equipment sent to Ukraine. It now has western
tanks, surface-to-air missile defence systems and pilots training to
take over a fleet of F-16 fighter jets.
Ukrainian forces are already familiar with the Himars mobile rocket
launchers used to fire ATACMS, as the US began transferring these
systems last year. However, it only supplied Ukraine with shorter-
range guided rockets.
The long-range missiles could be particularly important in winter,
when cold weather slows fighting along the frontlines and Russia may
try to shore up its defences in occupied Ukrainian territory.
Ukraine launched a counteroffensive this summer that progressed more
slowly than the country’s own military and its US allies had hoped.
Kyiv aimed to break through Russian lines, then drive down to the
Sea of Azov, isolating invading forces around Kherson and cutting
off supply routes to Crimea.
A dense mine belt stalled troops for weeks, however, after it proved
impenetrable even to armoured vehicles and tanks from the US and
European powers.
Eventually a path was cleared by sappers on foot, and last week, in
another key breakthrough, armoured vehicles breached Russia’s main
anti-tank defences in the same area.That could allow them to push
farther south more easily, or attack Russian forces along defensive
lines from the rear.
While the land offensive has advanced slowly, Ukraine has sought to
put pressure on Russian forces with long-distance drone and other
attacks, both inside Russia and on occupied Ukrainian soil,
particularly in Crimea.
Although there was no official announcement on ATACMS during
Zelenskiy’s whirlwind visit to Washington last week, he secured
$325m in new US aid and worked to reinforce support for his country
among politicians.While in Europe support for Ukraine’s war effort
is largely bipartisan, in the US there are splits along party
political lines, with a faction of congressional Republicans largely
aligned with the party’s presidential frontrunner Donald Trump
increasingly opposed to funding aid and weapons transfers.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/sep/23/us-agrees-to-send-
long-range-missiles-atacms-to-ukraine-in-military-boost-for-kyiv
US president Joe Biden has decided to supply Ukraine with long-range
army tactical missile systems (ATACMS), an important boost to Kyiv’s
capacity to target Russian military logistics at long range
distances as the country prepares for a second winter at war.
Biden told Ukraine’s leader Volodymyr Zelenskiy in a private meeting
that a small number of the weapons would be transferred, NBC
reported, citing US officials.
Ukraine has been asking for ATACMS for months. Officials in the US
were reluctant as the country’s own stockpile is limited and because
of fears Russia could accuse Washington of escalation.
But Ukraine will commit not to target Russian territory with them
and a waiver allowing the transfer of cluster munitions to Ukraine
has expanded the number of potential missiles that could be used
there, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Fired from a mobile launcher, ATACMS can hit targets up to 190 miles
(300km) away, allowing Ukrainian forces to strike far beyond the
front lines. Potential targets include command headquarters, weapons
depots and supply networks, including railways.
Asked about reports that Biden had shifted his position, Zelenskiy
did not directly respond, saying only that the US was Ukraine’s
biggest weapons supplier, Reuters reported.“We are discussing all
the different types of weapons – long-range weapons and artillery,
shells with the calibre of 155mm, then air defence systems,”
Zelenskiy told a press conference during an official visit to
Canada.
Ukraine’s acquisition of the ATACMS is the latest in a long-running
and largely successful campaign to push western allies for more
advanced weaponry, which has been bolstered by Ukrainian military
successes on the ground.
When Russia invaded last year, guided anti-tank missiles were among
the most hi-tech equipment sent to Ukraine. It now has western
tanks, surface-to-air missile defence systems and pilots training to
take over a fleet of F-16 fighter jets.
Ukrainian forces are already familiar with the Himars mobile rocket
launchers used to fire ATACMS, as the US began transferring these
systems last year. However, it only supplied Ukraine with shorter-
range guided rockets.
The long-range missiles could be particularly important in winter,
when cold weather slows fighting along the frontlines and Russia may
try to shore up its defences in occupied Ukrainian territory.
Ukraine launched a counteroffensive this summer that progressed more
slowly than the country’s own military and its US allies had hoped.
Kyiv aimed to break through Russian lines, then drive down to the
Sea of Azov, isolating invading forces around Kherson and cutting
off supply routes to Crimea.
A dense mine belt stalled troops for weeks, however, after it proved
impenetrable even to armoured vehicles and tanks from the US and
European powers.
Eventually a path was cleared by sappers on foot, and last week, in
another key breakthrough, armoured vehicles breached Russia’s main
anti-tank defences in the same area.That could allow them to push
farther south more easily, or attack Russian forces along defensive
lines from the rear.
While the land offensive has advanced slowly, Ukraine has sought to
put pressure on Russian forces with long-distance drone and other
attacks, both inside Russia and on occupied Ukrainian soil,
particularly in Crimea.
Although there was no official announcement on ATACMS during
Zelenskiy’s whirlwind visit to Washington last week, he secured
$325m in new US aid and worked to reinforce support for his country
among politicians.While in Europe support for Ukraine’s war effort
is largely bipartisan, in the US there are splits along party
political lines, with a faction of congressional Republicans largely
aligned with the party’s presidential frontrunner Donald Trump
increasingly opposed to funding aid and weapons transfers.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/sep/23/us-agrees-to-send-
long-range-missiles-atacms-to-ukraine-in-military-boost-for-kyiv
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