WP: Kyiv requests coordinates from US military to launch HIMARS strikes
The Ukrainian Armed Forces ask US military personnel stationed in Europe to provide accurate coordinates of targets before launching HIMARS attacks, The Washington Post learnt from three Ukrainian and one US officials.
The newspaper notes that this practice, which never used to be public knowledge, shows that the Pentagon is taking a more active role in the Ukraine war.
One Ukrainian official said that Kyiv forces almost never use HIMARS without specific coordinates sent by the US military. If Washington refuses to share target coordinates, strikes are aborted. According to him, this approach is meant to persuade Washington to continue supplying long-range weapons to Kyiv.
The US source noted that Ukraine does not request permission to launch strikes and usually takes the initiative to strike Russian forces with other types of weapons. According to him, the Pentagon provides coordinates and information exclusively as a consultant.
The Washington Post writes that Ukraine hopes to get ATACMS surface-to-surface missiles from the US which has a range of 297 km.
The Biden administration earlier refused to supply these missiles despite Kyiv’s promise not to use it to launch strikes on Russian territories.
