Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told PBS on Sept. 16 that he was hopeful that the U.S. would agree to send Ukraine longer-range missiles systems, as well as ammunition for the 16 HIMARS (High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems) already in the country. The U.S. and Ukraine “are discussing this issue,” he reported. “I do not exclude the option that the United States will make a positive decision on this specific type of weapon,” he added, referring to HIMARS longer-range munitions. This was necessary, he claimed, to “get things done on the battleground.”
Such capabilities, like the long-range Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) that is also being discussed, have a range of up to 300 km and would allow Ukraine to strike deep into Russian territory. Both Ambassador to the U.S. Anatoly Antonov and Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova have warned such a step would “cross the red line” and make the U.S. “an actual party” in the military conflict.
