US to transfer ATACMS ballistic missiles with cluster warheads to Ukraine, but without official announcement

The USA will not announce the delivery of ATACMS tactical ballistic missiles to Ukraine. This is reported by the Financial Times.

Here's What We Know

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited the US this week, where he met with Joe Biden. Contrary to expectations, the new military aid package did not include ATACMS. Nevertheless, major publications wrote that Ukraine will still receive ballistic missiles for HIMARS.

The Financial Times confirms The Wall Street Journal's information about the delivery of ATACMS with a cluster warhead. There are two versions of the ballistic missile with different range (up to 300 kilometres), warhead weight (up to 560 kg) and number of submunitions (up to 950 pieces).

At the same time, sources from Washington say that the White House does not want to officially announce the delivery of ATACMS. This is due to the unwillingness to destabilise the situation in Ukraine. In addition, the announcement will give the Russians an opportunity to prepare. So we will learn about the deliveries from the news.

In addition, the Financial Times confirms that the first batch will consist of a small number of ballistic missiles. The timing of the deliveries is not specified. The transfer of ATACMS with a cluster warhead is due to the fact that the US Army does not plan to use them in its operations.

Source: Financial Times