Zelensky reveals US weapons in combat action

The long-range tactical surface-to-surface missile ATACMS that Ukraine demanded from the U.S. has already been delivered and is being used in combat operations, it has been revealed. The weapons were secretly provided by the U.S., which had hesitated to give them to Ukraine for fear of provoking Russia because of their ability to strike the Russian mainland. The supply is believed to be a ‘countermeasure’ to the alleged arms deal between North Korea and Russia around their summit last month.

"I would like to express my special thanks to the U.S,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his regular speech on Tuesday. “The agreement with President Joe Biden is being implemented. ATACMS was very accurate." CNN reported later on the day that Ukraine had launched strikes on airfields near Berdyansk and Luhansk in Russia-occupied Ukraine.

The Biden administration also acknowledged Washington’s provision of ATACMS to Kyiv in response to an official statement from President Zelensky. "The U.S. offered ATACMS as part of our support to protect the people of Ukraine against Russia's recent brutal aggression," White House National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a statement on Tuesday. "We believe it will significantly enhance Ukraine's combat capabilities without jeopardizing our military readiness."

However, Watson noted that the range of the ATACMS provided was 165 kilometers, shorter than the typical range of 297 kilometers. That is effectively too short to strike mainland Russia. Instead, the missile is equipped with cluster bombs that pack hundreds of ‘baby bombs’ into a single bomb.

Russia protested, saying that the White House's decision to send long-range missiles to Ukraine is a grave mistake. "The consequences of this deliberately concealed action will be the most serious," Russian Ambassador to the U.S. Anatoly Antonov said.


71wook@donga.com