Ukraine’s military says it uses target coordinates provided by the US and its allies to fire missiles. However, Washington is said not to participate in the process of selecting targets for attack.
The Washington Post quoted an unnamed Ukrainian official as saying that Kyiv had asked the US and its allies to provide or confirm the coordinates of the target in most attacks using advanced US-aided missile systems.
“A senior Ukrainian official said that Ukrainian forces almost never launch advanced weapons without specific coordinates provided by the US from a base in Europe. They said the process would give Washington confidence in providing long-range weapons to Kyiv,” the Washington Post wrote.
An unnamed US official also confirmed: “The assistance in targeting is to ensure accuracy as well as preserve a limited ammunition reserve for maximum effectiveness,” he said.
According to the official, Ukraine decides on its own what targets it will strike and often attacks Russian forces with other weapons on its own, without depending on consensus from the United States. “The US only provides coordinates and precise targeting information in an advisory role,” he said.
The Washington Post also quoted Pentagon spokesman Patrick Ryder as saying: “We have long acknowledged that we share intelligence with Ukraine. The Ukrainians are responsible for finding targets, identifying them, and then deciding which targets to hit. The US does not approve the targets, nor do we participate in the selection or attack of the targets.”
