The US is close to an agreement to provide Ukraine has long-range cruise missiles that could reach deep into Russia, but Kiev will have to wait several months while the US works through technical issues before any delivery, US officials said, quoted by "Reuters".
Inclusion of the Joint Air-to-Surface Missile (JASSM) in the weapons package is expected to be announced this fall, three sources said, although no final decision has yet been made. The sources declined to be named because they were not authorized to discuss the matter.
Deploying JASSM to Ukraine could significantly change the strategic landscape of the conflict by putting more of Russia within range of powerful, precision munitions.
Military analysts suggest that the introduction of JASSMs - which can strike farther than most other missiles in Ukraine's current inventory - could push Russian bridgeheads and supply depots back hundreds of miles.
This would seriously complicate Russia's ability to sustain its offensive operations and potentially provide Ukraine with a strategic advantage.
Firing them from points near Ukraine's northern border with Russia could allow them to hit military installations as far away as the Russian cities of Voronezh and Bryansk. In the south, launching them near the front lines could enable strikes on airfields or naval facilities in Crimea.
JASSM has so far only been integrated into US-designed aircraft. Ukraine will eventually use several dozen F-16s, each of which can carry two of the cruise missiles.
One US official said there were attempts to adapt the missile to non-Western warplanes in Ukraine's inventory, which had not been previously reported.
Although the official did not provide further details on which aircraft in Ukraine's inventory the JASSM can be used with, they work with Soviet-era MiG-29, Su-24 and Su-27 aircraft.