Norway, Denmark and the Netherlands will potentially buy more than 3,000 cruise missiles for Ukraine in a $825 million sale approved by the U.S State Department, the Pentagon announced on Thursday.
The missiles, called Extended Range Attack Munition (ERAM), have a range of from 150 to 280 miles and are expected to arrive in Ukraine “in about six weeks,” according to a report by The Wall Street Journal.
“This proposed sale will improve Ukraine’s capability to meet current and future threats by further equipping it to conduct self-defense and regional security missions,” the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a statement announcing the approved sale.
The move “will support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of a partner country that is a force for political stability and economic progress in Europe,” the agency added, without providing a timeline for when the missiles could arrive in Ukraine.
It said Norway, Denmark and the Netherlands will finance the purchase.
Earlier, WSJ reported that the Pentagon blocked Ukraine from using U.S.-supplied ATACMS long-range missiles to strike targets inside Russia since late spring, marking a reversal of former President Joe Biden’s approval last fall.
That decision was said to be part of the Trump administration’s effort to entice Moscow into peace talks with Kyiv, which have since stalled as Russia refuses to commit to a ceasefire.
Trump, who previously criticized Biden for “escalating” the war by allowing cross-border Ukrainian strikes, vowed last month to send new weapons to Ukraine if Europe agreed to foot the bill.
Meanwhile, the Pentagon has reportedly tasked Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby with overseeing a “review mechanism” for Ukraine’s requests to fire long-range weapons at targets inside Russia, according to WSJ.
Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform last week that Ukraine would find it “very hard, if not impossible, to win a war without attacking” Russia.
AFP contributed reporting.
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