US approves $825 mn missile sale to Ukraine

The United States (US) on Thursday announced the approval of an $825 million sale of 3,350 Extended Range Attack Munition (ERAM) air-launched missiles and related equipment to Ukraine.

Kyiv will make the purchase with funding from Denmark, the Netherlands and Norway and a loan guarantee from the United States, the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said in a statement.

“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,” DSCA said.

And it “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.

The State Department approved the possible sale of the missiles to Ukraine and the DSCA provided the required notification to the US Congress, which still needs to sign off on the transaction.

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin launched the full-scale invasion of neighboring Ukraine in 2022 and has shown little willingness to end the conflict despite pressure from the United States.

Under former president Joe Biden, Washington committed to providing more than $65 billion in military assistance to Ukraine, but his successor Donald Trump — long skeptical of assistance for Kyiv — has instead pushed for Europe to play a greater role in funding further military aid.