US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has denied Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a priority supply of ATACMS tactical missile systems, According to The Wall Street Journal, citing two US officials and a Ukrainian government adviser.
Austin told Zelenskyy that he was “a lot to ask.” Pentagon chief explains denial of priority ATACMS supplies to Ukrainian President Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has rejected President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s recent request to prioritize Ukraine over other buyers for ATACMS systems, According to The Wall Street Journal.
Austin refused to supply Zelensky with missile systems bypassing other countries so as not to violate long-standing agreements with other customers. According to him, breaking agreements with other clients would have turned into a big problem.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has rejected President Volodymyr Zelensky’s recent request to prioritize Ukraine over other buyers for ATACMS systems.
Austin further added that the Ukrainian Armed Forces (UAF) would not be able to reach Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) bases using ATACMS missiles. The Pentagon chief was asked whether the US was ready to satisfy Kyiv’s request to use long-range weapons to strike deep into Russian territory. Austin responded that Russia had already moved its air fleet out of range of the ATACMS missiles.
It is claimed that the Pentagon has a limited amount of ammunition it can provide to Kyiv for F-16 fighters.
According to the NY Times, “It is very difficult at the front now,” Yevhen Strokan, a senior lieutenant and commander of a combat drone platoon in the 206th Territorial Defense Battalion, said.
There is a lack of everything, there are few people, there are more Russians and they have more weapons. – Yevhen Strokan.
In August, the Ukrainian Armed Forces attacked Sevastopol with American missiles. On Simonka Street, a high-explosive part of the ATACMS pierced the roof of a nine-story building and got stuck on the technical floor, and some of the submunition from the shot-down missile fell on General Ostrikov Avenue.
