Russia demands US and Turkey explain possible ATACMS transfer to Ukraine
Moscow says the reported deal for 70 missiles and 50,000 rounds would damage relations with both countries
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made
![[FILE] Maria Zakharova, the Russian Foreign Ministry's spokeswoman, attends a briefing in Moscow, Russia, 03 August 2018. EPA/FILE/MAXIM SHIPENKOV](https://efe.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/rss-efe4a98becabeb90db01f89e7486557752cd067cf20w.webp)
[FILE] Maria Zakharova, the Russian Foreign Ministry's spokeswoman, attends a briefing in Moscow, Russia, 03 August 2018. EPA/FILE/MAXIM SHIPENKOV
Photograph: EFE (embedded from source)
What this story says
- Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said the reported transfer of 70 ATACMS missiles and 50,000 rounds of ammunition from Turkey to Ukraine would damage relations with Washington and Ankara.
- The US Congress published details of the proposed deal, which includes 12 missile launchers and weapons valued at around $280 million.
- Zakharova questioned the move, noting that both the US and Turkey have presented themselves as mediators in the war.
- No response from Washington or Ankara has been reported by the outlets below.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 9 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 13 of the 22 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .
Trust
86/100
Craft
95/100
Hype
15/100
22 sources · methodology
Thin on the left so far
Only 1 of the 9 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated left.
This story is still being watched, so it is a count and not yet a finding. Coverage keeps arriving for hours after an event, and a side that has published nothing this morning may publish by tonight. If it is still true when we stop checking, we will say so plainly.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry said on 15 August 2026 that it had asked the United States and Turkey for explanations about a possible transfer of US-made ATACMS missiles and ammunition to Ukraine. The request followed reports that Turkey had sought Washington’s approval to send the weapons, which are stored in Turkish stockpiles, to Kyiv.
Maria Zakharova, the ministry’s spokesperson, said the transfer would cause “serious damage” to Russia’s bilateral relations with both countries. She cited information published by the US Congress, which listed 12 missile launchers, 70 ATACMS missiles and around 50,000 rounds of ammunition as part of the proposed deal. Zakharova said the weapons would not alter the course of the war but would undermine trust.
Zakharova also questioned the timing, noting that both the US and Turkey have positioned themselves as mediators in the conflict. She said the move contradicted assurances from Turkish officials that Ankara avoids supplying lethal weapons to Ukraine. The US State Department has not commented on the reports, according to the outlets below.
What the reports disagree on
The centre-rated Moscow Times reported that Turkey had requested permission from Washington to send tens of thousands of artillery projectiles and cluster munitions rockets to Ukraine, produced under a 1987 US license. EFE, also centre-rated, did not mention cluster munitions or the 1987 license in its report.
What the coverage left out
None of the right-rated digests mentioned that Zakharova acknowledged the weapons would not significantly alter the course of the war. The left-rated digest from Le Monde did not include the specific number of missiles or rounds involved. Neither the left nor the right digests reported that the US has not responded to the Russian request for explanations.
Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 5 times, most recently on 15 Aug 2026, 19:00, and will add the sides that appear.
How other outlets pictured it
Which photograph to run is each newsroom’s own choice. The leaning beside a name is that outlet’s published rating, not a claim that the pictures divide along it. Every picture is shown from the outlet’s own server and links to the article it ran in.
Russia demands US and Turkey explain possible ATACMS transfer to Ukraine
The Moscow Times — embedded from source
How each side covered it
Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.
Left
1 rated outlet
- The left-rated digest from Le Monde led on the diplomatic consequences of the reported transfer. It quoted Zakharova accusing Ankara of “trying to use peacekeeping rhetoric while simultaneously providing weapons” to Ukraine. The digest did not mention the specific number of missiles or rounds involved.
Centre
2 rated outlets
- EFE’s full report led on Zakharova’s warning that the transfer would damage relations with Washington and Ankara. It included the full list of weapons cited by the US Congress and noted that the weapons were manufactured in the US but stored in Turkey. The Moscow Times’ full report emphasised the cluster munitions aspect, reporting that Turkey had requested permission to send decades-old artillery projectiles and cluster munitions rockets to Ukraine.
Right
6 rated outlets
- The right-rated digests from ussanews.com, Welt, La Razón and the Times of India all led on Zakharova’s warning that the transfer would “undermine mutual trust” or “damage relations”. ussanews.com and La Razón included the $280 million valuation of the weapons. Welt’s digest quoted Zakharova’s phrase “lethal goods” and described the transfer as “a further Pandora’s box”. None of the right-rated digests mentioned the cluster munitions aspect reported by the Moscow Times.
Read it at the source
22 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.
Left
1Centre
2Right
6- Russia: US and Turkey to Declare Arms Delivery to Ukraine (opens Kurier in a new tab)
- US-Türkiye arms transfer to Ukraine ‘undermines trust’ – Moscow (opens ussanews.com in a new tab)
ussanews.com — is ussanews.com biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Maria Sakharov: Moscow Criticises "the Full Pumping of Selenskyy-Yunta with Weapons" (opens Welt in a new tab)
- Russia Demands Explanations to the US and Turkey for Sending ATACMS Missiles to Ukraine (opens La Razón in a new tab)
- Russia seeks explanation from US and Turkey over reports of possible arms transfer (opens Al Arabiya in a new tab)
Al Arabiya — is Al Arabiya biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Russia seeks explanation from US and Turkey over reports of possible arms transfer (opens Times of India in a new tab)
Times of India — is Times of India biased? Our profile of this outlet
Not rated
13- Russia Asks the US and Turkey to Explain Possible Supply of Weapons to Ukraine (opens RPP in a new tab)
- Russia Was Able to Supply Ukraine with ATACMS Missiles Through Turkey (opens Gazeta.ua in a new tab)
- Russia Calls on Türkiye and the US to Provide Official Explanations! Allegations of Arms Shipments to Ukraine Are on the Agenda. (opens Aydınlık in a new tab)
- Russia Requests Clarification From US, Turkiye Over Plans to Supply Weapons to Ukraine (opens Aletho News in a new tab)
Aletho News — is Aletho News biased? Our profile of this outlet
- "Agonia of the Regime": at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, They Called the Turkish "Transfer" of Arms to Kieva the Pandora's Box. (opens RTVI in a new tab)
- NATO's Two Most Powerful Forces Would Secretly Hand over a Huge Arsenal of Weapons to Ukraine, the Thread Has Been Broken in Moscow (opens Portfolio in a new tab)
- Russia seeks explanation from US and Turkey over reports of possible arms transfer (opens Islamabad Post in a new tab)
Islamabad Post — is Islamabad Post biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Zakharova Warns US and Turkey: Transferring Weapons to Ukraine Will Cause Damage (opens CNN Greece in a new tab)
CNN Greece — is CNN Greece biased? Our profile of this outlet
Show 5 more
- "Unleash Trust": Russian Foreign Ministry Warns that the Supply of Weapons to Kiev Undermines Diplomatic Relations with Moscow (opens noticiaslatam.lat in a new tab)
noticiaslatam.lat — is noticiaslatam.lat biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Zakharova: Warns of "Serious Damage" to Relations with US and Turkey if They Transfer Weapons to Kiev (opens Naftemporiki in a new tab)
Naftemporiki — is Naftemporiki biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Russia Demands Explanation From US and Turkey. Arms Supply to Ukraine Would Harm Relations, Says Report (opens Hospodárske Noviny in a new tab)
Hospodárske Noviny — is Hospodárske Noviny biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Russia seeks US, Turkey explanations over alleged arms plans for Kyiv (opens Crypto Briefing in a new tab)
Crypto Briefing — is Crypto Briefing biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Russian Foreign Ministry Demands US and Turkey to Explain Possible Arms Supplies to Ukraine (opens 5 канал in a new tab)
Questions about this coverage
- How did the left and right cover Russia demands US and Turkey explain possible ATACMS transfer to Ukraine?
- Of the 9 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 11% are rated left, 22% are rated centre, 67% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 22. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
- Is Russia demands US and Turkey explain possible ATACMS transfer to Ukraine left or right?
- Too few of the outlets on this story carry a published leaning rating to say. 9 of them do, and this site does not characterise a field under 12: at that size one newsroom filing moves the share by ten points. The percentages above are the count as it stands.
- Is the coverage of Russia demands US and Turkey explain possible ATACMS transfer to Ukraine biased?
- Russia demands US and Turkey explain possible ATACMS transfer to Ukraine is one event reported by 22 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
- Which side is not reporting Russia demands US and Turkey explain possible ATACMS transfer to Ukraine?
- When we first saw this story, outlets rated left had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.
- Which outlets covered Russia demands US and Turkey explain possible ATACMS transfer to Ukraine?
- 22 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
- What weapons are reportedly being transferred to Ukraine?
- The US Congress published details of a proposed transfer of 12 missile launchers, 70 ATACMS missiles and around 50,000 rounds of ammunition from Turkish stockpiles to Ukraine. The weapons are US-made but stored in Turkey, requiring Washington’s approval for the transfer.
- Why does Russia object to the transfer?
- Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said the transfer would cause “serious damage” to bilateral relations with Washington and Ankara. She also questioned the move, noting that both countries have presented themselves as mediators in the conflict.
- Has the US or Turkey responded to Russia’s request for explanations?
- None of the reports below mention a response from the US State Department or Turkish officials to Russia’s request for clarifications about the reported transfer.
How did this read?
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