News / Foreign Policy

US readies $2 billion-plus Ukraine military package: Report

Wednesday, 01 February 2023 5:24 AM [ Last Update: Wednesday, 01 February 2023 5:50 AM ]

Javeline anti-tank missiles are displayed on the assembly line as US President Joe Biden tours a Lockheed Martin weapons factory in Troy, Alabama, the US, May 3, 2022. (Photo by Reuters)

The United States has put together a new weapons package worth more than $2 billion for delivery to Ukraine.

Reuters cited two unnamed sources as telling the news agency on Tuesday that the new shipment of US-made weapons to Ukraine was expected to include longer-range rockets for the first time, as well as other munitions and weapons.

The longer-range rockets will be sent to Ukraine despite previous refusal by the Biden administration to provide Kiev with systems capable of striking deep into Russian territory.

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Most of the funding for purchasing weapons, which will be supplied by the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, will be allocated to the purchase of Ground Launched Small Diameter Bombs (GLSDB), which can strike up to 150 km away, the report said.

The GLSDB’s longer range could enable Ukraine to hit previously out-of-reach targets and help disrupt Russian forces further behind their lines, the report added.

The US continues to refuse Ukraine’s request for the Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS), which have a range of 297 km, the report further added.

The new weapons package is expected to be officially announced as soon as later this week.

Ukrainian forces gained a military boost last month when the United States and Germany ended months of refusal and announced their approval to provide Kiev with their most advanced battle tanks.

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Russia launched what it calls “a special military operation” against Ukraine in late February over the perceived threat of the country joining NATO.

Since then, the US and Ukraine’s other allies have sent Kiev tens of billions of dollars’ worth of weapons, including rocket systems, drones, armored vehicles, tanks, and communication systems. Western countries have also imposed a slew of economic sanctions on Moscow. But they had so far refused to send their top weapons to Kiev.

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