The US’s top defence official on Tuesday downplayed Ukraine’s requests for longer-range missiles but pledged to meet Kyiv’s “most urgent” air-defence needs, just days before President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to ask for more military aid from Washington.
US defence secretary Lloyd Austin said the Biden administration was focused on beefing up support for Ukraine’s war effort, but remained cool on providing Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS), long-range warheads that can strike longer distances.
Austin said he would not “endeavour to evaluate” Kyiv’s requests for the missile systems, but said the US was more focused on “what Ukraine’s most urgent needs are”.