U.S. ultimately agrees to send Kyiv longer-range bombs
WASHINGTON — After months of agonizing, the U.S. has agreed to send longer-range bombs to Ukraine as Ukraine 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 ground-launched 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 includes equipment to connect all the different air defense systems Western allies have rushed to the battlefield and integrate them into Kviv’s own air defenses, to help them better defend against Russia’s continued 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 eventually 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 longerrange munitions and on Thursday, officials said the U.S. will send an undisclosed number of the groundlaunched, small-diameter bombs, which have a range of about 95 miles. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details of the aid package not yet made public.
To date, the longestrange missile provided by the U.S. travels 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 bombs to the battlefield in Ukraine.
Ukraine’s defense minister Oleksii Reznikov said Thursday the country is prepared to offer guarantees to its Western partners that their weapons won’t be used to strike inside Russian territory, adding that Kyiv needs weapons with the range of up to 186 miles to expel the Russian forces.
“If we could strike at a distance of up to 300 kilometers [about 180 miles], the Russian army wouldn’t be able to mount a defense and will have to withdraw,” Reznikov said at a meeting with European Union officials. “Ukraine is ready to provide any guarantees that your weapons will not be involved in attacks on the Russian territory. We have enough targets in the occupied areas of Ukraine, and we’re prepared to coordinate on [these] targets with our partners,” the minister said.
The U.S. aid package includes $425 million in ammunition and support equipment that will be pulled from existing Pentagon stockpiles and $1.75 billion in new funding through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which is used to purchase new weapons from industry.
The Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which will pay for the longer-range bombs and the air defense system integration, also funds two HAWK air defense systems, antiaircraft guns and ammunition, and counter-drone systems.
Since Russia’s invasion last February, Western allies have pledged myriad air defense systems to Ukraine to bolster Kyiv’s own Sovietmade S-300 surface-to-air missile defense systems, and the latest aid package aims to provide the capability to integrate them all, which could improve Ukraine’s ability to protect itself against incoming Russian attacks.
The U.S. has pledged mediumto long-range National Advanced Surface-toAir Missile Systems, or NASAMS, and trucklaunched short-range Avenger air defense systems; the Netherlands, Germany and the U.S. are sending Patriot missile defense systems; Germany is sending medium-range IRIS-T air defense systems; and Spain is sending Aspide antiaircraft air defense systems.
The addition of longerrange bombs in the latest aid package was first reported by Reuters.
Ukraine is still seeking F-16 fighter jets, which President Biden has opposed sending since the beginning of the war. Asked Monday if his administration was considering sending F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, Biden responded, “No.”
On Tuesday, Reznikov was asked if Biden’s ’’no” to F-16s was the final word.
“All types of help first passed through the ‘no’ stage,” Reznikov said. “Which only means ‘no’ at today’s given moment.”