Ukraine has begun to use longer-range ballistic missiles against Russia that the U.S. secretly delivered, according to American officials.
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The weapons were shipped as part of a prior U.S. support package and arrived this month. Officials stated that they were not made public in order to safeguard Ukraine’s “operational security”.
They have already been employed at least once to attack Russian targets in occupied Crimea.
Additional US help is currently on its way to Kyiv.
More American weapons are anticipated to be delivered soon after President Joe Biden approved a new package of $61 billion (£49 billion) in economic and military aid for Ukraine on Wednesday.
The missiles that have already been covertly delivered are the longer-range version of the Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS), a state department spokesman revealed on Wednesday.
The US had supplied Ukraine with a mid-range version of the ATACMS, but had refrained from supplying anything more powerful, citing worries about compromising US military readiness.
Officials were also afraid that the Ukrainians could use the weapons to strike inside Russian territory, escalating the conflict, according to NBC, which broke the story first.
Ukrainians have long advocated for the systems, which can launch missiles up to 300 kilometers (186 miles). Mr Biden is alleged to have quietly granted the go-ahead in February.
Briefing reporters on Wednesday, the state department spokesman confirmed that the provision of the longer-range ATACMS had been “at the president’s direct direction”.
The US “did not announce this at the onset in order to maintain operational security for Ukraine at their request”, Vedant Patel explained.
It is not clear how many of the weapons have already been sent, but US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said Washington planned to send more.
“They will make a difference. But as I’ve said before at this podium… there is no silver bullet,” he said.