WASHINGTON – Donald Trump has approved the sale of thousands of new, low-cost, long-range cruise missiles to Ukraine, an $825 million (£612 million) package designed to provide Kyiv with a potent and plentiful new strike capability. The deal marks the first major new arms transfer to Ukraine under the Trump administration and signals a significant policy shift in how Washington supports the war effort.
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| The package of 3,350 Eram missiles marks the first major delivery of new weapons to Ukraine since Donald Trump became president - US Navy |
The package includes 3,350 Extended-Range Attack Missiles (ERAMs) and their accompanying GPS navigation modules. With reports suggesting the arsenal could be delivered within six weeks, the move indicates a clear acknowledgment from Washington that it anticipates the now four-year-long conflict will be protracted.
Confirming the sale on Thursday, following a deadly night of Russian airstrikes on Ukrainian cities, the U.S. State Department said the transfer would "improve Ukraine's capabilities to meet current and future threats by further equipping it to conduct self-defense and regional security missions." Andriy Yermak, the Chief of Staff to President Volodymyr Zelensky, confirmed the details: "There will be up to 3,350 ERAMs and 3,350 guidance modules to counter spoofing."
U.S. officials told The Wall Street Journal that the announcement was deliberately delayed until after Mr. Trump's summit meetings with both Vladimir Putin and Mr. Zelensky, which yielded no significant breakthroughs in stalled peace negotiations.
The ERAM: Quantity Has a Quality of Its Own
The ERAM is not as sophisticated as the U.S.-made ATACMS missile or as powerful as the British and French-supplied Storm Shadow bunker-busters, which Ukraine has used to strike high-value targets in Crimea and Russia.
Essentially a hybrid of a cruise missile and an advanced aerial bomb, the air-launched ERAM has a reported range of up to 280 miles (450 km), flies at speeds of at least 430 mph, and carries a 500-pound (approx. 227 kg) warhead.
The project was initiated in July of last year under the Biden administration to provide Kyiv with an affordable, mass-produced, long-range option. While the ERAM cannot match the 2,300-mph speed of an ATACMS or the 600-mph of a Storm Shadow, its key advantage is cost. For the same price, Ukraine can acquire over 3,350 ERAMs, compared to fewer than 800 of the more powerful Western munitions.
Its considerable range—nearly matching the Storm Shadow—allows Ukrainian jets to launch the missiles while remaining safely outside the reach of most Russian air defense systems.
"The mass use of ERAMs could change the operational situation, degrading Russia’s offensive potential and disrupting supply chains and communications," said Mykhailo Samus, a defense analyst at the New Geopolitics Research Network.
The Catch: Washington's Veto Power
However, other experts have expressed skepticism about whether the ERAMs can be a true game-changer, highlighting the significant restrictions Washington is expected to place on their use.
Ivan Stupak, a Ukrainian military expert and former national security officer, said too many questions remain. "In theory, everything is good – the number of missiles and the range. But there is no clear answer yet on how Ukraine will use these munitions," he told The Telegraph. "Will the army have to ask the Pentagon for permission to strike Russian territory? What about hitting occupied Ukrainian territory, and what will the approval procedure be like?"
U.S. officials have indicated that Kyiv will indeed require Pentagon permission to use the ERAMs. It is considered highly unlikely that Ukraine will be allowed to strike targets inside Russia, a restriction that currently applies to U.S.-supplied ATACMS missiles. This represents a reversal of a decision by Joe Biden in his final months as president, which had permitted Ukraine to use ATACMS to strike Russian territory under specific circumstances.
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| Ukraine’s own long-range missiles, such as the Flamingo, mean Kyiv could strike Russia without seeking US permission - Efrem Lukatsky/AP |
This fits with a quiet vetting mechanism reportedly introduced in the spring, designed to prevent Kyiv from striking Russian territory in an effort to bring Putin to the negotiating table.
A New Model for U.S. Support
The purchase of the ERAMs will be funded by Denmark, the Netherlands, and Norway, with loan guarantees from the United States, contingent on Congressional approval.
The deal signals a significant shift in U.S. policy under Mr. Trump, who has long been skeptical of direct American aid and has demanded that Europe contribute more. While the Biden administration committed over $65 billion in direct military aid, the new model sees European allies paying for American-made weapons for Ukraine. This structure, established in a July agreement among NATO allies, shields Mr. Trump from accusations of direct U.S. financial involvement in the war.
This ERAM package is one of the first major purchases under this new arrangement, providing a measure of relief to Kyiv and demonstrating a U.S. commitment to re-arming Ukraine, provided its European allies foot the bill.
