Military

White House Says No Update on Whether Biden Will Approve Sending ATACMS to Ukraine

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told Sputnik there is no update on whether President Joe Biden will approve sending the long-range Army tactical Missile System (ATACMS) to Ukraine.
Sputnik
"No updates on ATACMS," Kirby said on Thursday when asked if Biden continues to consider sending the ATACMS to Ukraine.
In mid-July, US national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky were still discussing the possible provision of ATACMS to Ukraine.
Sullivan said Biden will eventually make the ultimate decision on the matter.
Biden previously said Ukraine already had an equivalent of ATACMS missiles and mainly needs artillery at present.
Military
Report: US Abrams Tanks May Arrive on Ukrainian Battlefield by September
According to US media, the Defense Department has warned that its ATACMS arsenal is relatively small and the missiles are already deployed to other areas, including on the Korean Peninsula, and therefore their transfer to Ukraine would jeopardize US combat readiness in other regions.
The latest commentary comes as reports earlier indicated that American-made Abrams tanks were expected to arrive in Ukraine by September, a month after the initial tranche are said to arrive in Germany for refurbishment. The Biden White House previously stated deployments were be issued in the fall without offering specifics.
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