US approves sale of thousands of ERAM missiles to Ukraine – WSJ
24 August 07:13
Donald Trump’s administration has approved the sale of 3,300 new ERAM missiles with a range of up to 450 km to Ukraine. The deliveries are funded by European countries, and the first batches are expected within six weeks, according to media reports. At the same time, the United States maintains a ban on Ukraine’s use of ATACMS missiles to strike Russian territory. Their use is possible only after a separate authorization from the Pentagon. The use of new missiles is expected to be coordinated with the United States.
The Wall Street Journal(WSJ) writes that the United States is simultaneously limiting the use of long-range missiles already delivered to Ukraine and preparing new deliveries. On the one hand, the Pentagon is blocking ATACMS strikes on Russian territory, reserving the right to make the final decision. On the other hand, the US administration has approved the sale of thousands of ERAM missiles to Kyiv for European money, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
The ban on ATACMS remains in place
The Pentagon has been blocking Ukraine’s use of long-range missiles to strike at Russian territory for several months, unnamed US officials told the American newspaper. According to them, a high-level approval procedure has not allowed Ukraine to use American long-range tactical missile systems to strike Russia since late spring. Ukraine has tried to use ATACMS at least once, but was denied, two sources told the newspaper.
Pentagon Deputy Chief of Staff for Political Affairs Albright Colby has developed a “review mechanism” to make decisions on Kyiv’s applications to launch long-range US-made missiles, as well as weapons with US components supplied to Ukraine by European allies. Colby presents his review to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who decides whether Ukraine can use the ATACMS missiles, which have a range of approximately 300 kilometers.
In addition to demanding approval for missile strikes, Colby, who has long been concerned about saving Pentagon resources, has tightened control over additional ammunition for Ukraine.
In a June memo, he established three categories-green, yellow, and red-to assess whether U.S. stockpiles of weapons were sufficient to allow some to be transferred to Kyiv.
The green category included systems that the United States had in excess and that could be easily delivered to Ukraine, while the yellow and red categories included fewer systems. This gave Hegseth the right to return weapons systems intended for Ukraine that fell into the yellow and red categories.
The requirement of Pentagon approval effectively reversed the decision of former US President Joe Biden to allow Ukraine to strike Russian territory with ATACMS missiles, the WSJ notes.
This week, Donald Trump said on social media that Ukraine will not be able to win unless it can “go on the offensive.” “It is very difficult, if not impossible, to win a war without attacking. There is no chance of winning!
U.S. officials told the WSJ that Trump’s statement did not indicate a change in policy. However, a senior White House official said that Trump could change his mind about “promoting the expansion of offensive operations against Russia.”
In the summer, Trump threatened to tighten sanctions against Moscow and impose tariffs on Russia’s partners if Vladimir Putin did not agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine. But a decision on this issue was postponed after his meeting with the Russian dictator in Alaska last week, during which the Kremlin chief convinced the White House host of his intentions to make peace, and the decision on sanctions was postponed.
New missiles with a range of up to 450 km.
In July, Donald Trump promised to provide Kyiv with new weapons if Europe agreed to pay for them. This decision was made after a short pause in the supply of American weapons while the Pentagon was checking its own arsenals. The same month, Trump told reporters that “we have no plans” to supply Kyiv with long-range weapons to attack Moscow.
Although the US has not announced plans to supply additional missiles, other types of weapons that European countries are purchasing from the US could help Ukraine on its territory, the WSJ writes, including air defense systems and a 145-kilometer-range guided missile system.
This week, the US administration approved the sale of 3,350 air-launched Extended Range Attack Munitions (ERAMs), which are to arrive in Ukraine in about six weeks, two US officials said.
The $850 million arms package, largely funded by European countries and including other weapons, was postponed until Trump’s summits with Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
Several U.S. officials have said that Ukraine needs to get Pentagon approval to use the ERAM, which has a range of 250 to 450 kilometers.
What is ERAM?
The Extended Range Attack Munition (ERAM) is a new long-range aviation munition being developed in the United States. The program was launched in 2024 with the participation of Denmark and the Netherlands and is aimed at mass production of relatively inexpensive guided missiles, unlike the limited number of ATACMS or Storm Shadow.
The ERAM weighs about 227 kg and hits targets at a range of up to 460 km. Equipped with a high-explosive warhead, subsonic propulsion system, and guidance system with an accuracy of up to 10 meters, even with GPS jamming, the missile can use inertial navigation, which reduces vulnerability to electronic warfare.
Since 2023, the Biden administration has supplied Ukraine with hundreds of ATACMS missiles, the WSJ reports. Restrictions on ATACMS attacks on targets in Russia, originally introduced under Biden, were lifted in the fall of 2024 after North Korean troops entered the conflict on Russia’s side. However, according to U.S. officials, the last of the ATACMS missiles that the Biden administration authorized to be sent to Ukraine arrived in the spring, leaving Kyiv with a small stockpile.
Ukraine has developed its own long-range weapons to strike targets in Russia, including drones that it has used to strike Russian oil refineries, the WSJ notes.
Last week, Volodymyr Zelenskiy said that Ukraine is developing a new cruise missile, the Flamingo, with a range of up to 3,000 km, which could be produced in significant quantities by the end of this year or early next year.
