In a unified plea on Saturday, Republican senators pressed President Joe Biden to expeditiously provide the vital missile support required to bolster Ukraine's ongoing struggle against Russia.
Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark, shared the letter on X, stating that withholding the missiles would "only prolong the war and cost lives." Republican Sens. Roger Wicker of Mississippi, Susan Collins of Maine, and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina co-signed the letter with Sen. Cotton.
"We urge you to immediately send MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) to Ukraine," they wrote. "Additional delay will further undermine U.S. national security interests and extend this conflict."
The Senate Armed Services Committee unanimously supported an amendment to the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act and urged the Department of Defense to consider delivering long-range missions to Ukraine, The Hill reported.
"The U.S. is fully capable of providing these weapons without any appreciable risk to its own combat capability," the senators wrote.
Lawmakers believe that supplying Ukraine with ATACMS could address a deficiency in the Ukrainian military's long-range fire capabilities.
They pointed to the recent Ukrainian strike on the Sevastopol naval port using long-range weapons from the U.K., as evidence of the "effectiveness of such weapons."
Furthermore, they contended that this allocation would bolster forthcoming "counteroffensive and follow-on operations."
The senators stressed the pressing nature of their request, underscoring that there is purportedly a mere 30-day window left within the customary fighting season.
In August, the United States unveiled a security assistance package for Ukraine totaling $200 million, according to The Hill. To date, the federal government has extended approximately $43 billion in aid to Ukraine since the invasion by Russia in February 2022.
Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.