USA (bbabo.net), - Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) of the US Armed Forces Charles Brown said that the risks associated with the supply of long-range ATACMS missiles to Ukraine are now “reduced compared to what they were before” . The highest US military official spoke about this in a conversation with reporters last Thursday; he was quoted today, March 29, by the American publication Defense One.
According to the head of the US Armed Forces Command and Control Command, “Moscow’s restrained response to a series of recent attacks by Ukrainian drones on Russian territory allowed the Pentagon to adjust its analysis of the risk of sending ATACMS.”
“That's what we pay attention to. What is the likelihood of escalation based on different possibilities and different actions,” he said.
Brown went on to speculate that fears of a major spring offensive by the Russian army “may be exaggerated.”
“I don’t know if the Russians will be able to carry out a big offensive. I mean, if you look at what happened over the course of the last year, the Russians actually gave up a lot of capabilities and personnel and weapons systems and vehicles to get what they got. And, as I would say, it’s almost a meat grinder,” said the top representative of the American generals.
Earlier, Western media reported that the United Pentagon is ready to transfer extended-range ATACMS missiles to Ukraine - up to 290 km. However, the Pentagon has not officially confirmed this.
At a press conference in February, Vladimir Zelensky said that he was positive about possible supplies of long-range weapons, in particular ATACMS, after negotiations with “Western allies.”
After months of requests from Ukrainian authorities, the Joe Biden administration is working to provide Kyiv with “new, powerful, long-range ballistic missiles,” NBC News reported Feb. 19, citing two officials in Washington. Late last year, the US began supplying Ukraine with Army tactical missile systems known as ATACMS, but so far it has only provided older versions of the mid-range ATACMS. Now, according to the interlocutors of the American television channel, the United States is “leaning towards sending a longer-range version of the missile, which will allow Ukraine to strike further inside the Russian-controlled Crimean Peninsula.”
The experience of the first combat use of American long-range Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) missiles showed the ineffectiveness of these weapons against the Russian army. The British magazine The Spectator came to this conclusion last October after conducting its own analysis of missile launches. As a result, the publication stated that the use of ATACMS will not change the picture of the conflict, contrary to Ukraine’s expectations.
Prior to this, Washington indicated that it had transferred ATACMS missiles to Kyiv for use within the “territory of sovereign Ukraine.” i
Ukraine first used ATACMS missiles against Russia on October 17, 2023, The Wall Street Journal reported. It is assumed that the Ukrainian Armed Forces received ATACMS with a range of 140 - 165 km.
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