U.S. to send bombs with longer range

After months of agonizing, the

U.S has agreed to send longer-range bombs to Ukraine as it prepares to launch a spring offensive to retake territory Russia captured last year, U.S. officials said Thursday, confirming that the new weapons will have roughly double the range of any other offensive weapon provided by America.

The U.S. will provide groundlaunched, small-diameter bombs as part of a $2.17 billion aid package it is expected to announce Friday, several U.S. officials said.

The package also for the first time includes equipment to connect all of the different air defense systems Western allies have rushed to the battlefield and integrate them into Ukraine’s own air defenses, helping it defend against Russia’s missile attacks.

For months, U.S. officials have hesitated to send longer-range systems to Ukraine out of concern that they would be used to target inside Russia, escalating the conflict and drawing the U.S. deeper in.

The longer-range bombs are the latest advanced system, such as Abrams tanks and the Patriot missile defense system, that the U.S. has agreed to provide Ukraine after initially saying no. U.S. officials, though, have continued to reject Ukraine’s requests for fighter jets.

Ukrainian leaders have urgently pressed for longer-range munitions, and on Thursday officials said the U.S. will send an undisclosed number of the ground-launched, small-diameter bombs, which have a range of about 95 miles.

To date, the longest-range missile provided by the U.S. is about 50 miles.

The funding in the aid package is for longer-term purchases, so it wasn’t clear Thursday how long it will take to get the bomb to the battlefield in Ukraine.