Washington’s announcement that Ukraine will get longer-range missiles is raising hopes in Kyiv, whose troops are losing ground in eastern Ukraine to a Russian offensive that the Kremlin says will continue despite Western military aid to Ukraine, Reuters and EFE, quoted by Agerpres.

U.S. officials said a new military aid package worth about $2.2 billion to Kiev will be announced this week, which for the first time will include small-diameter ground-launched bombs (GLSDBs), which are missiles with folding wings that glide toward targets at a distance. . up to 150 kilometers and can be launched from salvo fire systems that Ukraine has already received from Western allies.

This would significantly increase the 80-kilometer range of the HIMARS missile launchers, which have already changed the course of the war, and cover almost all Ukrainian territory occupied by Russian forces, with the exception of Crimea, possibly forcing Moscow to relocate its warehouses. ammunition and other military facilities much further from the front line, probably even directly on the territory of Russia.

But the arrival of new American weapons will not be instantaneous, and for now Russia has taken the initiative on the battlefield for the first time since last summer. In recent days, Moscow has announced the advance of its troops to the north and south of the city of Bakhmut, which is the main focus of this new winter offensive. Kyiv denies the advance of Russian troops, but the location of the battles confirms the advance of the Russian army.

Moscow’s reaction: “The course of events will not change, the special operation will continue”

Meanwhile, the Kremlin claims that the new Western weapons that Ukraine will receive will not change the development of the conflict. “They will make additional efforts towards us, but they will not change the course of events, as the special military operation will continue,” said the press secretary of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Dmytro Peskov.

“The entire NATO military infrastructure is working against Russia,” including their reconnaissance aircraft and satellites, Peskov noted. “Of course, all this creates very special conditions for us, hostile conditions, it seems we cannot ignore them,” he added.

Kyiv declares that “discussions are underway regarding long-range missiles and fighter jets”

For his part, Mykhailo Podolyak, adviser to the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi, said that Ukraine, having received heavy tanks from Western countries, is negotiating with them on the supply of longer-range missiles.

“Each phase of war requires a certain type of weapon. There is already a coalition of tanks. Discussions are underway regarding long-range missiles and fighter jets,” Podolyak wrote on Twitter.

In particular, Ukraine asked the United States for ATACMS missiles, which are launched from HIMARS launchers and have a range of about 300 kilometers, which would allow the Ukrainian army to hit Russian targets also in Crimea and on the territory of Russia. But Washington has so far refused to hand over the missiles, and US officials say they will not be included in a new military aid package to be announced this week.

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