US to send new aid package to Ukraine that includes longer-range bombs

Washington – The United States has agreed to send longer-range bombs to Ukraine as it prepares to launch an offensive to retake territory Russia captured last year, officials in Washington said Thursday, confirming the new weaponry will have nearly twice the range. than any other offensive weapon the country has provided.

Washington will send small diameter bombs that are dropped from the ground as part of a $2.17 billion aid package that is scheduled to be unveiled Friday, several federal officials said. For the first time, the package will also include equipment to connect the various anti-aircraft systems that the Western allies have sent to the battlefield, which will be integrated into kyiv’s own air defenses to improve defense against Russian missiles.

US officials have hesitated for months about sending longer-range systems to Ukraine amid concerns they could be used to launch attacks inside Russian territory, escalating the conflict and increasingly involving the United States.

Along with Abrams tanks and the Patriot missile defense system, the longer-range bombs are advanced equipment that the United States has eventually agreed to send to Ukraine after initial refusal. However, officials in Washington have continued to reject Ukrainian requests for fighter jets.

The Ukrainian government has urgently requested longer-range munitions, and officials said Thursday that the United States will send them an undisclosed number of small-diameter ground-dropped bombs that have a range of about 95 miles. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to reveal details of the assistance package that have not yet been made public.

To date, the longest-range missile the United States has provided reaches about 50 miles away. The funding in the assistance package is for long-term acquisitions, so it was still unclear on Thursday how long it will be before the bombs hit the battlefield in Ukraine.

Ukraine’s Defense Minister Oleskii Reznikov said on Thursday that the country is ready to offer guarantees to its Western allies that its weapons will not be used to launch attacks on Russian soil, adding that kyiv needs weapons with a range of up to 185 miles. to drive out the Russian forces.

“If we could attack at a distance of up to 300 kilometers, the Russian army would not be able to mount a defense and would have to withdraw,” Reznikov told a meeting with European Union officials. “Ukraine is ready to offer any guarantee that its weapons will not be involved in attacks on Russian territory. We have enough targets in the occupied areas of Ukraine, and we are ready to coordinate these targets with our allies.”

The US assistance package includes $425 million in munitions and support equipment that will come from existing Pentagon arsenals, as well as $1.75 billion in new funding through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI), which is used to acquire new weapons from the industry.

USAI, which will pay for the longer-range bombs and the integration of anti-aircraft systems, is also funding two HAWK air defense systems, anti-aircraft weapons and ammunition, and anti-drone systems.

Since Russia launched its invasion in February last year, various Western nations have committed a wide variety of anti-aircraft systems to Ukraine to bolster its Soviet-made S-300 surface-to-air defense systems, with the latest assistance package being aimed at providing the ability to integrate them, which would improve Ukraine’s ability to defend against Russian attacks.

The United States has promised to send NASAMS medium- and long-range surface-to-air missile systems, as well as Avenger air defense systems, which operate from trucks. The Netherlands, Germany and Washington will send Patriot defense systems; Germany to provide IRIS-T medium-range anti-aircraft systems; and Spain will make available Aspide anti-aircraft systems.

The Reuters news agency was the first outlet to report on the inclusion of the longer-range bombs in the latest aid package.