The administration of US President Joe Biden is close to approving the supply of medium-range missiles equipped with cluster munitions to Ukraine. Reuters reports that if the decision is made, Kyiv will receive weapons to cause significant damage to objects deep in Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories.
Having seen in recent months the effectiveness of cluster munitions, which are equipped with 155-millimeter artillery shells, the United States is considering the possibility of supplying Ukraine with ATACMS army tactical missile systems with a range of 300 kilometers, or multiple launch rocket systems with a 60-kilometer radius, also equipped with cluster munitions. Deliveries of both systems simultaneously cannot be ruled out.
If these plans are approved, these missile systems would be ready for delivery to the Ukrainian armed forces in the shortest possible time.
The decision to send ATACMS or GMLRS, or both, is not yet final. The Biden administration has been seeking approval for months. As for ATACMS systems, skeptics fear that their delivery could be perceived in Moscow as an “overly aggressive step” against Russia.
