Ukrainian army used nearly all ATACMS missiles provided by US - CNN

The letter, dated Monday, was sent ahead of U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to Kyiv on Wednesday, September 11. It was signed by:

• Michael McCaul, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman;
• Michael Turner, House Intelligence Committee Chairman;
• Mike Rogers, House Armed Services Committee Chairman;
• Ken Calvert, House Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman;
• Thomas Kean, House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee Chairman;
• Richard Hudson, Helsinki Commissioner.

Permission will not lead to escalation

The Biden administration fears that allowing Ukraine to conduct further strikes on Russian territory could lead to an escalation of the conflict and provoke the Kremlin to accuse the US of direct involvement in the war.

However, in their letter, Republican lawmakers argue that the administration’s concerns about escalation have been consistently disproven since the start of the war.

"Neither Ukraine’s use of US-provided weapons in Russia nor its military incursion into Russia’s Kursk region – the first foreign occupation of Russian territory since World War II – have triggered a Russian escalatory response," they wrote.

ATACMS strikes still valuable

An American official also told CNN that US intelligence estimates show that more than 90% of Russian aircraft launching glide bombs and missiles at Ukraine are based at airfields located at least 300 km from Ukrainian-controlled territory. This supposedly limits the effectiveness of ATACMS systems, which cannot reach those distances.

"We expect this number to continue to increase. For example, Russia recently relocated its glide bomb missions from two airfields, which were located closer to the front, father east to airfields that are outside of range of ATCMS," said the official.

Meanwhile, the Republican lawmakers argue in their letter that numerous other legitimate military targets remain within range on Russian territory.

"The Institute for the Study of War assesses that, excluding airfields, there are over 200 legitimate military targets within range of US-provided weapons to include military bases, logistics nodes, fuel depots, ammunition warehouses, and command and control systems," they wrote.

The lawmakers also assert that the restrictions hinder Ukraine’s ability to prevail in its fight against Russian aggression and provide Kremlin forces with a refuge from which they can attack Ukraine with impunity.

"It is far past time the administration reverses course and lifts the remaining restrictions on Ukraine’s use of US-provided weapons against legitimate military targets in Russia," they concluded.

Missile stocks nearly exhausted

An anonymous US official told CNN that the US has supplied Ukraine with several hundred ATACMS missile systems and that Ukraine has used most of them.

The official noted that the US has a limited stockpile of missile systems that can be provided to Ukraine without compromising its military readiness. Using this weaponry for strikes deep inside Russia would deplete Ukraine's ATACMS reserves, which could otherwise be used for other parts of its military campaign, such as in Crimea.

However, the CNN source mentioned that, according to Ukrainian officials, there are targets within the missile range that include weapons production facilities which could be considered legitimate military objectives.

Approval for the Ukrainian army to use American missiles to strike Russian rear areas

For several months, the Ukrainian government has been urging its European and US partners to allow the use of Western missiles for strikes on military targets within Russian territory. These requests began after the Russian army invaded the Kharkiv region in May, which was accompanied by increased rocket and guided bomb attacks on Ukraine's border areas and rear cities.

If granted permission, Western missiles could quickly incapacitate most of the airbases from which Russian fighters launch attacks on Ukraine.

However, the US has long refrained from authorizing the use of its missiles for strikes deep into Russia. Following the invasion of the Kharkiv region, the US only permitted strikes within a border zone of up to 100 kilometers.

Recently, however, this issue has moved off the deadlock.

On September 10, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that President Joe Biden does not rule out granting permission for Ukrainian forces to attack targets within Russian territory with missiles.

Biden also mentioned that the US is currently working on providing such authorization.

Furthermore, on Wednesday, September 11, Blinken and British Foreign Secretary David Lammy are set to visit Kyiv. According to media reports, Blinken may announce the authorization to strike Russian targets with US weapons while in Kyiv.

Additionally, on Friday, September 13, Biden plans to meet with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to discuss the authorization for Ukrainian forces to carry out strikes deep into Russia.

Recently, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin noted that ATACMS missiles might not reach their intended targets due to the Russian military relocating its aviation more than 300 kilometers from the Ukrainian border.