Pentagon has been blocking Ukraine’s use of ATACMS for strikes deep inside Russia for several months - WSJ
For several months, the Pentagon has been blocking Ukraine's use of long-range missiles to strike at Russian territory.
This was reported by The Wall Street Journal, citing U.S. officials, Censor.NET reports.
According to the interlocutors, the Pentagon's high-level approval procedure, which has not yet been announced, has prevented Ukraine from launching US long-range tactical missile systems ATACMS at targets in Russia since late spring.
It is noted that at least once, Ukraine tried to use ATACMS to strike at Russia, but was denied.
The publication writes that such strikes can only be authorised personally by Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth. This applies to ATACMS missiles, as well as the British-French Storm Shadow cruise missiles, as they receive targeting data from the United States.
The article says that this procedure was developed by Deputy Secretary of Defence Elbridge Colby.
"The policy effectively overturned the Biden administration's decision to allow Ukraine to strike Russian territory," the WSJ writes.
The newspaper writes that the Pentagon refused to authorise the attacks as the White House was trying to persuade Moscow to start peace talks.
As a reminder, in November 2024, the administration of the previous US President Joe Biden allowed Ukraine to strike at Russian territory with ATACMS ballistic missiles. At that time, the United States allowed the Ukrainian Armed Forces to use American ATACMS ballistic missiles to hit targets in the Kursk region of Russia.
