The White House said that Washington provided long-range ballistic missiles to Kyiv for its war against Moscow following Russia’s use of North Korean ballistic missiles in Ukraine.
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said on Wednesday during a press briefing that the U.S. shipment of its long-range Army Tactical Missile System, known as ATACMS, arrived in Ukraine last month on the order of President Joe Biden.
Sullivan added that the shipment of the missiles, which have a range of 300 kilometers, followed Russia's procurement and use of North Korean ballistic missiles against Ukraine, as well as Moscow's renewed and escalating attacks against civilian infrastructure in the country.
The U.S. official said that the U.S. plans to send more missiles, but he refused to specify the exact number of missiles given to Ukraine citing "operational reasons."
The U.S. State Department also confirmed in a press briefing that Washington provided the ATACMS to Ukraine, and stated it did not disclose the provision in order to maintain operational security for Ukraine.
The U.S. previously supplied Ukraine with a mid-range version of the ATACMS.