What weapons have Western countries given to Ukraine?

The United States will allow Ukraine to use US-made weapons such as ATACMS rockets, which have a range of up to 306km, to strike deep into Russia two US officials and a source familiar with the decision said.

President Vladimir Putin said in September that the step would mean "direct involvement of NATO countries" in the war.

Below is a list of some of the weapons systems Western countries were initially hesitant to give Ukraine but which were eventually handed over.

ATACMS

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has been long asking his country's allies to give it the capability to strike deeper behind Russian lines, a crucial part of disrupting enemy logistics and command chains.

The US held off on supplying Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) - because of concerns that Russia would see this as escalatory - until October 2023, when they supplied a short-range version with a maximum range of 165km.

This was followed up by deliveries in early 2024 of a longer-range version of the ATACMS missile which has a range of up to 300km.

With the US permission, Ukraine will now be able to strike targets deep inside Russia, most likely around Russia's Kursk region, where Ukraine's forces still hold swathes of the territory and where North Korean troops are reported to be concentrated.

In August, analysts at the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War said that hundreds of known Russian military objects were in the range of ATACMS.

It is likely, however, that some of the military assets, despite the logistical difficulties, have been moved deeper into Russia in anticipation of the US decision.

F-16s

Ukraine asked for F-16 fighter jets from soon after start of the invasion to boost its long-range strike ability as well as to use the jets to shoot down the volleys of cruise missiles fired deep into Ukraine by Moscow.

Ukrainian pilots started to be trained on the jets only in August 2023, after lengthy negotiations between the coalition of allies who would provide planes or training.

Ukraine was keen to finish the training process as soon as possible, and the confirmation that Ukraine had received the first planes came on 31 July this year.

Since then, one of the planes has crashed while attempting to engage Russian missiles fired at land targets in Ukraine.

Western Tanks

Although Ukraine's eastern European allies provided it with Soviet-era tanks at the start of the invasion, Kyiv coveted Western-built tanks, such as Britain's Challenger 2 and the German-built Leopard 2, until their transfer was approved after a lengthy negotiation in January 2023.

The agreement on a coalition of countries to supply the tanks was delayed by concerns in Germany that the move could be seen as escalatory by Russia. Germany eventually approved the transfer of Leopard 2 tanks from other countries' stockpiles as well as its own.

Strikes on Russia

For over two years, the United States did not allow Ukraine to strike Russia with any of its weapons systems.

After a Russian assault in May 2024 near the northwestern city of Kharkiv, the US changed its stance under pressure from Ukraine.

Ukraine was secretly authorised by President Joe Biden to fire US-supplied weapons at military targets inside Russia that were supporting the Kharkiv offensive.