Politico: Ukrainian delegation will ask for ATACMS long-range missiles during a visit to the USA

During the visit of President Volodymyr Zelensky to the USA, the Ukrainian delegation is going to ask Washington to supply ATACMS tactical missiles with a range of up to 300 kilometers.

Politico writes about it.

During the meeting with Biden and his national security team, the Ukrainian delegation will make another round of requests for long-range tactical missile systems (ATACMS), as well as Gray Eagle and Reaper drones, according to a person familiar with the discussions. Before that, the White House refused to transfer ATACMS to Ukraine. Politico writes that this U.S. indecision worried Ukrainian officials and forced the countryʼs top military leadership to seek help from others, including countries outside the Western alliance.

The topic of long-range weapons is expected to dominate the personal meeting between Zelensky, his team and the Biden administration. Zelensky is also likely to prove to Congress that his country needs more advanced weapons to repel Russian attacks.

ATACMS has a range of up to 300 kilometers. The Biden administration believes that providing these systems could be escalating because they could be used to target Russia itself. Currently, the maximum range of weapons that the USA provides to Ukraine is about 80 kilometers. In August, the Pentagon declared that the Armed Forces did not need ATACMS yet. At the same time, Ukraine included them in the list of weapons necessary for the continuation of the counteroffensive.

• President Volodymyr Zelensky will visit the USA on December 21. He will meet with the U.S. President Joe Biden, address Congress and hold a series of bilateral meetings. This will be Zelenskyʼs second visit to the White House and his first trip abroad since the start of the full-scale invasion.