American officials have confirmed that Ukraine has initiated the use of extended-range ballistic missiles against Russia, which were covertly supplied by the United States.

These weapons were dispatched as part of a prior support package from the US and recently arrived in Ukraine without public announcement to safeguard Ukraine's operational security.

They have already been deployed at least once to target Russian positions in occupied Crimea.

Additional aid from the US is currently en route to Kyiv. President Joe Biden approved a new package of economic and military assistance worth $61 billion for Ukraine, with more American weaponry expected to be dispatched soon.

The missiles clandestinely provided are an enhanced version of the Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS), confirmed by a State Department spokesperson on Wednesday.

While the US had previously supplied Ukraine with a mid-range variant of the ATACMS, it had refrained from sending more potent weaponry, partly due to concerns about compromising US military readiness.

There were also apprehensions that the Ukrainians might employ the missiles to target Russian territory, potentially exacerbating the conflict, according to NBC, which initially reported the story.

Despite Ukrainian requests for these systems, which can launch missiles up to 300km (186 miles), President Biden reportedly approved the decision secretly in February.

During a briefing on Wednesday, the State Department spokesperson affirmed that the provision of the extended-range ATACMS was directly ordered by the president to fulfill Ukraine's request for assistance while maintaining operational secrecy.

The exact quantity of these weapons dispatched remains unclear, but US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan mentioned plans to send more.

Sullivan emphasized that while these weapons will have an impact, they are not a panacea for the situation, reiterating that there is no single solution to the ongoing conflict.

The longer-range ATACMS give Ukraine the ability to strike deeper into Russian-held areas; particularly bases, storage facilities, and logistics hubs.

They were used for the first time last week to strike a Russian airfield in occupied Crimea, US media reported, and then in an attack on Russian troops in the occupied port city of Berdyansk overnight on Tuesday.

Russia said on Wednesday that the new weaponry "will not fundamentally change the outcome" of the war.

Recent months have seen Kyiv step up its calls for Western assistance as its stocks of ammunition are depleted and Russia makes steady gains.

The new aid package that was rubber-stamped by Mr Biden on Wednesday follows months of gridlock amid opposition to the aid from some in Congress.


A billion-dollar weapons package is expected to be the first of many from the $61bn of fresh aid, not all of which will be spent on arms.

US security assistance previously sent to Ukraine since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion totals $44bn.

"It's going to make America safer, it's going to make the world safer," the US president said after signing the new aid into law.

Reacting to the package, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said: "Now we will do everything to make up for half a year spent in debates and doubts.

"What the Russian occupier was able to do during this time, what Putin is now planning, we must turn against him."

Mr Zelensky recently warned that a Russian offensive was expected in the coming weeks after Ukraine's loss of the city of Avdiivka during the winter.

Ukrainian forces have suffered from a shortage of ammunition and air defense systems in recent months and officials have blamed delays in military aid from the US and other Western allies for the loss of lives and territory.

Mr. Sullivan said on Wednesday it was "certainly possible that Russia could make additional tactical gains in the coming weeks".

Since Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February 2022, tens of thousands of people, most of them soldiers, have been killed or injured on both sides and millions of people have fled their homes.

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