According to US Department of State spokesperson Vedant Patel as quoted by the AFP news agency, the ATACMS long-range missile was provided to Ukraine at the direct direction of President Joe Biden.
These missiles were part of the March aid package for Ukraine, and not the one that Congress just approved and US President Joe Biden signed. Patel also emphasized that the US did not announce the delivery early on to maintain Ukraine's operational security at Kyiv's request.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the US Department of Defense confirmed that the missiles supplied to Ukraine can reach targets up to 300 kilometers away. The White House said last year that the US was sending a short-range missile variant that could travel 165 kilometers, but what Ukraine had long requested was a long-range missile.
The announcement of the ATACMS delivery came on the same day as Biden's decision to sign new aid amounting to 61 billion US dollars to Ukraine. Thus the Pentagon can send the artillery and air defense ammunition that Ukraine desperately needs.
The presence of ATACMS long-range missiles in Ukraine will almost certainly increase Kyiv's self-confidence. The question is, will these missiles be used as a means of self-defense, or instead become weapons that will be used to attack Russia?
Meanwhile, for Russia, will the presence of ATACMS in Ukraine make Moscow refrain from carrying out attacks or, on the contrary, will it become more aggressive?
The Russia-Ukraine conflict not only caused casualties and material losses on both sides but also affected geopolitics and the global economic order.
It is hoped that the leaders of the two countries will prioritize humanity rather than the ego of power in resolving the war which has lasted more than 790 days, so that the people of both countries can live in peace and calm.