U.S. preparing to send long-range ATACMS missiles to Ukraine – media

The Biden administration is likely to send Ukraine long-range Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) with a range of over 300 km.

That's according to ABC News, which cites U.S. officials, Ukrinform reports.

"They are coming," said one official who had access to security assistance plans. The official noted that, as always, such plans are subject to change until officially announced.

A second official said the missiles are "on the table" and likely to be included in an upcoming security assistance package, adding that a final decision has not been made. It could be months before Ukraine receives the missiles, according to the official.

It is not yet clear what exactly changed the position of the U.S. administration, which has refused to provide Ukraine with ATACMS so far. One factor may be the unexpected discovery of more of these systems in the U.S. inventory than originally assessed.

"The serviceability of the rediscovered stockpile is not yet clear, nor which specific type of missiles it contains. ATACMS come in several forms, from missiles with large high-explosive warheads, to anti-personnel cluster-munition versions that drop hundreds of bomblets on targets," the article reads.

In addition to giving Ukrainian crews much greater standoff distance when striking Russian positions -- making it more difficult for the Russians to fire back -- ATACMS could also help Ukraine more easily reach targets in Crimea.

The U.S. has committed more than $43.7 billion in security aid to Ukraine since the beginning of the invasion in February 2022.