ATACMS will not be able to hit 90% of Russian warplanes attacking Ukraine – White House

90% of the aircraft Russia uses to strike Ukraine are located beyond the range of US long-range ATACMS missiles, announced John Kirby, the White House's Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the National Security Council, during a briefing.

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Asked whether Washington's policy on long-range strikes into Russia might change in light of recent attacks, particularly in Poltava and Lviv where civilians were killed, Kirby said that "nothing's changed about our policy" at this time.

According to Kirby, Russia has already relocated its aircraft deeper into the country, making the claim that Ukraine could use ATACMS to strike most of the Russian military aircraft attacking Ukrainian territory incorrect.

"90% of the aircraft that Russia uses for glide bombs and long range strikes – we've done the math on this – 90% of them lie outside 300 kilometers from the Ukrainian border, deep inside Russia. So the argument that somehow if you just give them an ATACMS and tell them it's okay that they're going to be able to go in and hit the majority of the Russian aircraft and airbases that are in fact used to strike them is not true. It's a misconception," Kirby said.

At the same time, the White House representative stressed that President Joe Biden's position on supporting Ukraine remains unwavering and that Washington is focused on strengthening Ukraine's air defense against such attacks.

On August 20, the Pentagon reported that the US policy of limiting long-range strikes on Russian territory remains unchanged. However, Washington allows Ukraine to strike in response to defend against Russian attacks from the border area of Sumy Oblast, including Russias's Kursk Oblast.

On August 31, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov reported that he had provided a list of potential targets in Russia for long-range weapon strikes to high-ranking US officials.