After months, the US agreed to send longer-range bombs to Ukraine as it prepares to launch a spring offensive to retake territory seized by Russia last year.
For months, US officials have been reluctant 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 US deeper into it.
The head of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry Oleksiy Reznikov, speaking at a joint meeting of the Ukrainian government and the European Commission, said that if the Armed Forces of Ukraine receive long-range missiles, there will be no strikes on Russian rear facilities.
According to him, the Ukrainian administration already has several targets, including the territories not controlled by Kyiv, the new regions of Russia.
Earlier, the composition of a new package of military assistance to Ukraine from the United States became known, which did not include ATACMS missiles, which allow strikes with a range of up to 300 km.
According to Reznikov, the command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is ready to discuss with Western partners the targets for long-range missile attacks.
“If we had the ability to strike at a distance of 300 kilometers, the Russian army would not be able to provide defense and would have to be defeated. "Ukraine is ready to provide any guarantees that your weapons will not be involved in attacks on Russian soil," he says.
The United States was preparing a new $2.2 billion military aid package for Ukraine, which could include GLSDB bombs, a Boeing and Saab development that allows strikes from more than 150 kilometers away. Now, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have at their disposal HIMARS with GMLRS missiles, which allow strikes with a range of up to 80 km.
Ukrainian guarantees
Reznikov noted that the guarantees apply to Russia's borders before accepting the new territories, but did not specify whether the guarantees also apply to Crimea.
"We have several targets in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine and we are ready to coordinate the targets together with our partners," he said.
Let us remind you that Kyiv did not recognize the entry into the Russian Federation of the DPR, LPR, Zaporozhye and Kherson regions and considers them "temporarily occupied territories".
New missiles from the USA
According to a foreign media outlet citing sources, it said that on February 3, the United States may announce a new package of military aid to Ukraine. It will include GLSDB ground bombs. Kiev's requests for a 300-kilometer radius ATACMS supply, as noted, were rejected in Washington.
It will also include support equipment for Patriot air defense systems, precision munitions, Javelin anti-tank systems, anti-drone systems, artillery and air surveillance radars, communications equipment, RQ-20 PUMA drones and parts for Bradley infantry fighting vehicles.
GLSDB refers to high-precision, all-weather, GPS-controlled munitions that can overcome electronic interference. Bombs are effective against armored vehicles. The bomb has folding wings, which allow it to fly over 100 km.
It could allow Ukraine to strike previously unreachable targets and help it continue its counterattacks, further undermining Russia's position on the home front.
"Let's not ask anyone"
In Kyiv, they have repeatedly declared their readiness to strike on Russian soil. Thus, the adviser to the head of the office of the president of Ukraine, Mikhail Podolyak, predicted strikes in major Russian cities, without however specifying who could cause them.
"The internal escalation of the war in the Russian Federation is inevitable. The attacks will be on different targets. Including such cities are Moscow, St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, etc., will be hit," he said.
Since Russia's invasion last February, Western allies have pledged a myriad of air defense systems to Ukraine to bolster Kiev's Soviet S-300 surface-to-air missile defense systems, and the latest aid package aims to provide the ability to integrate them. all of which could improve Ukraine's ability to defend itself against incoming Russian attacks.
