In this image provided by the US Army, soldiers, from the 3rd Battalion, 321st Field Artillery Regiment of the 18th Field Artillery Brigade out of Fort Bragg NC, conduct live fire testing at White Sands Missile Range, NM, on Dec 14, 2021, of early versions of the Army Tactical Missile System. (PHOTO / US ARMY VIA AP)

KYIV – Ukraine will receive ATACMS long-range missiles from the United States on a permanent basis, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Thursday.

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The agreement on the supply of ATACMS to Ukraine was reached during a meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Joe Biden in Washington last month, the government-run Ukrinform news agency reported quoting Kuleba as saying.

ATACMS, or Army Tactical Missile System, is a tactical ballistic missile manufactured by the US defense company Lockheed Martin. It has a range of up to about 300 km

"We appreciate the US for fulfilling the agreements and for strengthening our firepower," the minister said, without specifying the number of missiles Ukraine already received.

On Tuesday, Zelensky confirmed the use of ATACMS by the Ukrainian military.

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ATACMS, or Army Tactical Missile System, is a tactical ballistic missile manufactured by the US defense company Lockheed Martin. It has a range of up to about 300 km. 

The Ukrainian foreign minister also said his country may receive F-16 fighter jets in the first half of 2024, the Interfax-Ukraine news agency reported the same day.

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"Under the optimistic scenario, I think, it will be the first half of next year," Kuleba said.

The F-16 jets will be delivered to Ukraine after Ukrainian pilots complete the training courses and appropriate infrastructure is arranged, he said.

Last week, Yuriy Ignat, spokesman for the Ukrainian Air Force, said that Ukrainian pilots, currently undergoing simulator training, will start flights with instructors on real F-16 jets in several weeks.

The Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, and Belgium have pledged to transfer F-16 jets to Ukraine to help the country upgrade its combat aircraft fleet amid the conflict with Russia.