The United States is still considering providing long-range ATACMS missiles to Ukraine.

US President Joe Biden noted this during a press conference on Monday.

Journalist Alex Raufoglu published the video of the conversation on Twitter.

Biden, in particular, commented on the increase in Russian air attacks on Kyiv.

He noted that this did not come as a surprise, therefore, the US should continue to support Ukraine.

“This is not unexpected. That is why we must continue to give Ukraine everything it needs,” Biden emphasized.

To a journalist’s question about the possible transfer of long-range ATACMS missiles to Ukraine, the President of the United States replied that the White House continues to consider this issue. “It’s still in play,” Biden said.

In April, General Mark Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, stated that Washington would not yet provide Ukraine with long-range MGM-140 ATACMS missiles. At the same time, the US was considering other options to provide the Armed Forces of Ukraine with more capabilities on the battlefield.

According to Milley, the United States has relatively few ATACMS missiles, and the US military must maintain its own stockpile of these weapons at the required level.

“As of today, a political decision has been made not to do this [to transfer ATACMS missiles – Ed.], for now. But I would not predict anything for the future. From a military point of view, we have relatively few ATACMS, we also need to be sure that we maintain our own stockpile of critical weapons,” explained Mark Milley.

The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff noted that the war in Ukraine revealed “unbelievable rates of consumption of conventional ammunition”, so the United States was at the time revising its estimates of the need for them in the event of a large-scale war.

The ATACMS (Army Tactical Missile System) is designed to defeat point targets, such as command posts, missile launchers, air defense facilities, communication nodes, and warehouses located in the depths of the enemy’s defense. M270 and M142 launchers are used to launch the missile. The system has a tactical ballistic MGM-140B missile with a maximum range of up to 300.