Our Planet Climate and Geopolitics
America may include Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles (JASSM) for F-16 fighter jets in a weapons package for Ukraine this autumn, Reuters reports, although a final decision has not been made.
Even if approved, Kyiv would need to wait several months for the US to resolve “technical issues” before receiving the missiles, an unnamed US official said. The Lockheed Martin-produced JASSMs have a range of about 230 miles and can avoid air defences, putting more of Russia within range.
They could hit Russian military targets in Crimea for example, if launched from the south of Ukraine, and get close to the Russian cities of Bryansk or Voronezh if launched from the north, affecting Russia’s ability to launch attacks.
The Biden administration has been cautious about providing such weapons given its repeated fears of escalation.
Meanwhile, Russia killed 51 people yesterday with two high-speed ballistic missiles in Poltava in central Ukraine.