The Kyiv Independent
News, analyses, investigations, opinions, podcasts and more. On-the-ground reporting from Ukraine
Media: US hopes ATACMS delivery will push Germany to send Ukraine Taurus missiles.
Washington is hoping new deliveries of long-range ATACMS missiles to Ukraine will push Germany to finally send Taurus missiles to help Kyiv fend off Russia's full-scale invasion, the French public television network TV5 Monde reported on April 25, citing an unnamed U.S. official.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is against sending the weapons to Ukraine because he fears the move will draw Germany into the war.
Ukraine has received other long-range missiles, such as the Storm Shadow from the U.K. and the French-made SCALP, and it was reported on April 25 that the U.S. had secretly sent more than 100 long-range ATACMS missiles to Kyiv last week.
"On the issue of the Taurus... it's a decision for Germany to make," an anonymous senior U.S. defense official told TV5 Monde on April 25.
"But of course, with the US supply of ATACMS as well as the previous decisions of the U.K. and France to supply long-range missiles, we obviously have the hope that this will play a role," they added.
In February, U.S. President Joe Biden instructed his team to include the long-range ATACMS in a military aid package, doing it in secrecy for security reasons and "to maintain the element of surprise for Ukraine," Reuters reported on April 24, citing an unnamed U.S. official.
The NYT, quoting another unnamed U.S. official, said it was these missiles that struck the airfield in Dzhankoi in Russian-occupied Crimea on April 17. Ukraine's military intelligence on April 18 said that Ukrainian forces had destroyed four S-400 launchers, three radar stations, a command post for air defense operations, and air space surveillance equipment Fundament-M in the attack.
The U.S. first delivered mid-range older models of ATACMS missiles to Ukraine last fall, following months of deliberation. The older models have a range of 165 kilometers (roughly 100 miles).
Newer models of ATACMS have a maximum range of around 300 kilometers (around 190 miles), and their delivery to Ukraine was previously unknown to the public.
Taurus is a joint German-Swedish-made cruise missile with a range of over 500 kilometers, further than the Storm Shadow and SCALP missiles Ukraine currently has as well as the newer models of ATACMS.
They are also designed to hit buried and protected targets.
These advantages would allow Kyiv to hit targets deeper inside occupied Ukraine, including the Crimean Bridge, a critical supply and transport route for Russian forces.
But their increased range would also allow for strikes deep inside Russian territory, a scenario that has made Berlin nervous.
The missiles would be "used solely inside our borders," Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said in August.
"The longer the missile range, the shorter the war," he argued.
Spanish defense minister: Ukraine receives Patriot missiles from Madrid.
Ukraine received Patriot anti-aircraft missiles from Madrid, Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles announced on May 6, according to EFE news agency.
Business association CEO Club says it was searched, complains of smear campaign.
CEO Club Ukraine, a club of Ukrainian business leaders, said on May 6 that its premises were searched by the Bureau of Economic Security (BEB) in April and linked it to a supposed smear campaign against the club.
Netherlands to begin F-16 aircraft deliveries to Ukraine in autumn.
The Netherlands plans to start delivering its F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine this autumn after Denmark begins transferring its aircraft already in the summer, Dutch Defense Minister Kaisa Ollongren said during a press briefing in Vilnius, Delfi repo...
Prosecutors: Russian airstrike on Kostiantynivka in Donetsk Oblast injures 4.
Russian troops carried out an airstrike on the city of Kostiantynivka in Donetsk Oblast on May 6, injuring four people, the regional Prosecutor's Office reported.
Bloomberg: EU plans to ban Russian funding for political parties, think tanks.
According to Bloomberg, the ban on Russian funding could impact far-right parties in Europe such as Germany's AfD and France's National Rally, both of which have previously been accused of links to Russia.
'OUTRAGEOUS': China is 'guilty of murder' over role in fentanyl crisis, GOP rep says.
Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla., discusses the CCP's role in the fentanyl crisis and what can be done to address this. #foxnews Subscribe to Fox News! Watch more Fox News Video: Watch Fox News Channel Live: FOX News Channel (FNC) is a 24-hour all-enco...
Report suggests comedians skip Biden jokes in Trump era #shorts.
‘Fox & Friends Weekend’ co-hosts react to the Politico article that suggests late-night hosts are careful not to let jokes ‘be perceived as advancing Trump.’ Subscribe to Fox News! Watch more Fox News Video: Watch Fox News Channel Live: FOX News C...
Update: German politician left seriously injured following attack - DW News.
A leading politician from Germany's Social Democrats has been attacked while campaigning in the eastern city of Dresden. Matthias Ecke is a candidate in the upcoming European Parliament elections for Chancellor Olaf Scholz's center-left SPD. He wa...
Silicon Valley investors push ahead with plan to build new city in California.
A group of developers have plans to turn a rural part of California into a new city and collected 20,000 signatures to put the project on the ballot in November. Some locals are questioning the ways petitioners gathered the signatures. » Subscribe...
Man rescues puppy stuck in wall
TO THE RESCUE: A puppy who found itself stuck between two walls was rescued by a man using a hammer and chisel. After carefully working around the pup, the man was able to free the dog and reunite it with its mother. ––– Subscribe to ABC News on Y...
How people are celebrating 'Star Wars Day'
May the "fourth" be with you as fans of the franchise are finding many ways to celebrate and ABC News' Will Ganss is gearing up for it. Subscribe to ABC News on YouTube: Watch 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events on ABC News Live: Watch ...