Thursday, 22 February 2024, 23:09
22.02.2024 22:50
The U.S. administration has officially confirmed that it is considering the possibility of providing Ukraine with longer-range ATACMS missiles than those previously delivered.
This was stated on Thursday during a telephone briefing by the coordinator of the US National Security Council, John Kirby, a Ukrinform correspondent reported.
“We have provided a version of ATACMS as you know, the APAMs have been provided to Ukraine and they have used them to good effect”, Kirby said.
In this context, Kirby emphasized that equipping the Ukrainian Armed Forces with versions of ATACMS with an extended range has never been off the table.
“They are still part and parcel of the discussions that we’ve been having with Ukraine. Ukraine does have the ability and has been provided similarly long range capabilities by other countries and we are still having conversations with the Ukrainians about the longer-range version of the ATACMS”, Kirby said.
As reported, earlier this week, the US media, citing administration officials in Washington, wrote that the White House is working to provide Ukraine with new longer-range ATACMS ballistic missiles. But for this to happen, Congress must approve a new aid package.
(C)UKRINFORM 2024
Great! Yet more HIMARS are needed.
Sorry, this ain’t great, but a mere publucity stunt, Mike. Did you overlook the most impirtant senrence in this report? “But for this to happen, Congress must approve a new aid package.”
And Biden’s doing a big fat nothing to get this done. He’s just waiting for a miracle.
“….confirmed that it is considering the possibility…”. What’s that like strong maybe?
Yup, these are weasel words to hide the awful reality that the chance to deliver these Himars missiles right now are nil. First, Biden needs to break the deadlock that Trumpists have imposed on Congress, only then’s the time to talk business. But he doesn’t do anything to accomplish that, so all that hypothesizing about ATACM is just useless daydreaming. Since his staffers must know that, it’s actually deliberate distraction. It’s ridiculous.
“Biden needs to break the deadlock that Trumpists have imposed on Congress”
How do you suggest he do that? Remember – the executive branch and the legislative branch are co-equal branches of government. The president can’t *force* congress to do anything. It’s up to members of the House to either force the issue with a discharge petition, or dump Johnson and elect a new speaker who’s sane.
(Did you hear about how Johnson turned a GOP leadership meeting into religious revival meeting? https://www.meidastouch.com/news/republicans-furious-as-speaker-johnson-turns-gop-leadership-meeting-into-religious-revival )
We know how he can do that, Larry. Since hoping for Trump to change his mind is futile, Biden needs to focus on the two realistical ways to overcome the dealock. Firstly, to engage in negotiations with pro-Ukraine Republicans, to encourage and support their plan to override Johnson and put the Senate bill up for a vote. And secondly, to exploit the executive leeway of legal loopholes, like the excess articles law, to hand over army stocks to Ukraine. Hell, he could even order the selling of ammunition to a Nato-partner like UK and Germany and I really wonder why he hasn’t organized that already. Either, it’s political considerations unknown to us that prevent him from doing all he still can to support Ukraine, or he is overwhelmed by this difficult situation and can’t see the forest for the trees anymore. Anyway, all we see at the White House happening anymore is handwringing, and that’s not good enough!
Who do they want to fool? They don’t even get urgently needed artillery shells delivered, are surrendering to Trumpish deadlock in Congress with hardly putting up resistance, so what’s this wishful thinking about? I can only conclude that Team Biden wants to distract from its disastrous failure. That’s ridiculous.
According to the estimates of American officials, if the aid is not renewed, the catastrophe on the battlefields will materialize on a large scale by the end of March!
From a pure Republican point of view, I wonder how the orange baboon will be able to campaign, when he will have created indescribable chaos in Europe and jeopardized US interests across the Atlantic? It is not logical. I think that their goal is not to keep political subjects alive, but above all to destroy Ukraine. All their actions are in this direction.
Congress! we implore you to clean the House and vote for this aid for Ukraine!
European governments must do all they can to prevent a military disaster in Ukraine. To hope for a miracle in US Congress is way too risky. The EU and friendly Nato partners need to pull out all the stops to fill the delivery void created by Trumpish Rethuglicans. Get shells to the front NOW, any which way you can!
Considering, considering, Dementia Joe is always considering until it’s a day late and a dollar short.
And it has to get past the traitorous MAGA Marxists in the House, then past the blockades that the two-faced Polish government turns a blind eye to.
I hope by some miracle Ukraine gets it, but it’s hard to have hope right now.
Effective Presidents (such as Reagan) know that with Coequal branches of government, direct negotiation between President and Speaker is often required to move legislation forward that is politically difficult but essential to the US, or allies, and/or world peace.
Joe Biden refused to directly negotiate with the Speaker Johnson for over a month. Who exactly is the “thug”holding up Ukraine aid for political benefit? Is it a Trumpish deadlock or is it a Bidenish deadlock in Congress since Biden refused to negotiate directly with the Speaker as is often DC practice?
I know Trump has been and is a convenient scape goat for progressive democrats when they are politically ineffective at achieving their goals. Perhaps instead they should consider what they may have done that has contributed to their failures. (Hint -consistently slandering, demonizing, demeaning and sneering at close to half of the voting population for years does not lead to political compromise or effective results for the country)
Ultimately Trump is not President, Joe Biden is. Failure to maintain support for Ukraine ultimately falls upon Joe Biden’s shoulders. As HarryTruman said, “the buck stops here” meaning at the President’s desk.
Another point is that Biden easily could have sent these longer range missiles over 18 months ago or sooner when all the money hadn’t been spent and Congress including significant numbers of Republicans were pushing for Biden to do so. Yet Biden allowed Russia to bluff his administration into not sending them. Confused, indecisive, refusing to cut any red tape, fatally slow to decide and deliver, incapable of sending enough war material in a timely fashion – this is the sad and deadly record of the Biden administration and for the last 20+ years the failed record of the Pentagon, DC uniparty, and the elites.
Unfortunately for Ukraine, some of the chickens are coming home to roost.
“They are still part and parcel of the discussions that we’ve been having with Ukraine.”
That is the core problem of Joe’s policy; dithering until ad nauseam.
Ukraine begs, Biden, refuses, then discusses, then sees the possibility, then contemplates some more, then refuses again, then discusses again, then sees another possibility, then contemplates, then says yes, then a month later a dozen something or another are sent, but manipulated to limit range.
We saw the total disgrace in Afghanistan, so why should he have grown a spine or a brain since then? He hasn’t.