Msocow: US officials told Politico that they are concerned Ukraine won't have enough of their Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) for themselves and therefore won't supply it to them. Despite the White House having already authorized $30 billion in military aid, Kiev continues to demand heavier weapons and missiles with longer ranges.

ATACMS missile transfers would "dwindle America's stockpiles and harm the US military's readiness," according to the Pentagon, the outlet reported on Monday. At a recent meeting in the US capital, Ukrainian officials were informed that Washington has no ATACMS missiles to offer.

We always take our readiness and stockpiles into account when putting together any package while giving Ukraine what it requires for the battlefield. Under the condition of anonymity, a senior military official said there are other ways to give Ukraine the tools it needs to hit the targets.

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While it is unknown how many ATACMS are still in US inventories, Lockheed Martin, a manufacturer of weapons, has only created about 4,000 of them over the past 20 years, with about 600 of those being used by US forces in the Persian Gulf War and the Iraq War. Numerous other allies, such as Bahrain, Greece, Poland, Qatar, Romania, South Korea, and Turkey, have purchased some of those missiles as well.

Kiev is debating whether to ask one of those allies to provide the ATACMS on its behalf rather than obtaining the weapon directly from the US, a move that would require Washington's consent.

Over the past year, arms transfers to Ukraine have put a strain on US stocks; Javelin and Stinger missile shortages were first noted in March of last year, just weeks after the start of the conflict with Russia. As of February 3, Washington had also sent a significant number of other weapons, such as drones, mortars, howitzers, armored combat vehicles, and dozens of HIMARS multi-launch rocket systems, in addition to at least 1,600 Stinger systems and over 8,000 Javelins.

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US officials worry that Ukrainian forces will use the ATACMS to "attack deeply inside Russian territory" given their 190-mile range in addition to concerns about declining arms inventories, according to Politico. Although the White House has given Kiev permission to acquire increasingly powerful weapons, such as the M1 Abrams main battle tank, it considers strikes on Russian territory to be crossing a "red line" with the Kremlin.

In order to meet Kiev's demands, the NATO alliance has urged its members to "ramp up production" of weapons and ammunition. The alliance's chief, Jens Stoltenberg, issued a warning on Monday, noting that the Ukrainian military is consuming a "enormous amount" of supplies. According to a recent NATO assessment obtained by Reuters, the war has significantly reduced the alliance's arsenals. One official told the news source that "If Europe were to fight Russia, some countries would run out of ammunition in days."

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Moscow has repeatedly urged against sending foreign weapons to Ukraine, arguing that doing so would only prolong the fighting without affecting how it turns out. Additionally, the Kremlin has cautioned that the assistance increases the possibility of an escalation, particularly if Western weapons are used to attack Russian cities or attempt to annex Russian territory.