“Both parties in the US Congress support sending Ukraine long-range ATACMS missiles, which can hit at a distance of more than 280 kilometers,” reports Elissa Slotkin, a representative of the Democratic Party and a member of the House of Representatives Committee on Armed Forces Affairs.
On July 27, Slotkin, along with other US House of Representatives lawmakers, took part in a secret briefing on Ukraine with Biden administration representatives.
“The main conversation at the briefing was … what else we can and should do for Ukrainians, literally in the next three to six weeks, very urgently. The Ukrainians want to advance south and conduct operations in the south. And we want them to be as successful as possible,” said Slotkin.
“I think that what we heard very firmly from President Zelensky and reinforced today is that the Ukrainians really want to hit Russia in the teeth a few times before the winter comes, put them in the best position possible, particularly hitting them down south,” Slotkin added.
Earlier, at the Aspen Security Forum, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan reiterated that the US wouldn’t provide Ukraine with ATACMs missiles. He explained that they could be used to attack the territory of Russia, which would lead to an even more significant escalation of the war.
The United States of America has supported Ukraine from the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, providing weapons and military equipment worth billions of dollars, which have helped in the fight against the Russian occupiers. This military assistance has included modern HIMARS artillery missile systems, Mi-17 helicopters, SUVs for border guards, and howitzers.
On May 9, US President Joseph Biden signed a lend-lease agreement for Ukraine which is a legislative act that simplifies the transfer of weapons for free, for rent, or with compensation after the war. According to this simplified procedure, a decision on the provision of weapons will be made within 72 hours.
At the same time, Biden reported that the United States wouldn’t supply Ukraine with missile systems that would allow it to hit targets on Russian territory.
