Ukraine’s new aid program will include missiles with a range of 150 km

The United States is preparing a $2.2 billion military aid package for Ukraine that is expected to include longer-range missiles and other ammunition and weapons for the first time, two sources told Reuters on Tuesday. of the Joe Biden administration.
The new security assistance program is expected to be announced as early as this week, officials said. The package is also expected to include support equipment for the Patriot air defense system, precision-guided munitions and Javelin anti-tank missiles, the sources added.
Source says shipment could be funded by $1.725 billion from a fund known as the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI), which allows the Biden administration to order new weapons from manufacturers rather than removing them from existing Pentagon stockpiles.
The funds will be used to purchase a new type of weapon, the Small Diameter Surface-to-Surface Bomb (GLSDB), with a range of 150 km. At the same time, Washington did not meet Kiev’s request for the supply of ATACMS missiles with a range of 297 km.
The long range of the GLSDB could allow Ukraine to hit important military targets now out of range and help UAFs continue their counterattacks while making it more difficult for the Russians to operate behind their own lines. .
Last November, Reuters reported on the offer by Boeing, the maker of GLSDB, to supply the weapons to Ukraine.
The White House declined to comment.
In addition to funds from the USAI fund, more than $400 million in assistance will come from funds the president can use in the event of threats to US national security. The funds will be used to purchase Mine and Ambush Protected Armored Personnel Carriers (MRAPs), GMLRS Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems and ammunition.