Ukraine has begun using long-range ballistic missiles against Russian forces, which were secretly provided by the US, US officials have confirmed.
The weapons were part of a $300 million aid package approved by US President Joe Biden in March and arrived this month.
They have already been used at least once to target Russian targets in Crimea, according to American media.
The U.S. has previously supplied Ukraine with a version of the Army’s Intermediate-Range Tactical Missile System (ATACMS), but has been reluctant to send anything more powerful, in part because of concerns about compromising U.S. military readiness.
However, in February, Biden is said to have secretly given the green light to send the long-range system, which can fire missiles up to 300 kilometers away.
The US did not announce it at the outset in order to maintain Ukraine’s operational security at its request, State Department spokesman Vedant Patel said.
It is not clear how many weapons have already been sent, but US national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Washington plans to send more.
Longer-range missiles were used for the first time last week to hit a Russian airport in Crimea, Reuters quoted an unnamed US official as saying.
The new missiles were also used in an attack on Russian troops in the port city of Berdyansk overnight on Tuesday, according to the New York Times.
