New US aid to Ukraine could contain long-range weapons
00:15 | The United States is preparing new military aid for Ukraine that is expected to include long-range missiles for the first time, Reuters news agency reported on the basis of talks with two senior US government officials. The package, worth more than $2 billion (€1.84 billion), will also include ammunition and other weapons.
Military aid is expected to be announced later this week, officials said. It also allegedly contains “support material” for Patriot air defense systems, precision guided munitions and Javelin anti-tank weapons.
A significant portion of the package, more than $1.7 billion (€1.56 billion), would come from a fund known as the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI). This allows the government to order weapons from the arms industry instead of obtaining them from existing US arms stockpiles.
USAI money would be used to purchase a new weapon, the Ground Launched Small Diameter Bomb (GLSDB), with a range of 150 kilometers. The United States rejected requests by, among others, the arms manufacturer Boeing to send the so-called ATACMS missile, with a range of 297 kilometers, to Ukraine.
Other forms of assistance would include anti-mine vehicles (MRAP), multiple guided missile systems (GMLRS) and munitions.