Russian port blockade: US government wants to send modern anti-ship missiles to Ukraine
Created: 05/20/2022, 10:19 am
By: Nail Akkoyun
As Russia continues to block ports in Ukraine, an arms shipment is underway that could be a real turning point in the war.
WASHINGTON DC/Kyiv - The White House is apparently working on sending special anti-ship missiles to Ukraine.
The background is the Russian blockade of the ports in the Black Sea, which could be broken with the new weapons.
This is reported by the Reuters news agency, citing several US government officials and congress workers.
The Ukrainian leadership recently made no secret of the fact that it wants more advanced US weapons in addition to its current stock of artillery, Javelin and Stinger missiles.
The desired anti-ship missiles could route the Russian Navy and allow global grain transport to resume.
Ukraine War: Missiles have range of hundreds of kilometers
According to the report, there are two models in the room: The "Harpoon" from Boeing, which has a range of up to 300 kilometers, and the "Naval Strike Missile" from the Norwegian manufacturer Kongsberg - it has a range of around 200 kilometers.
A "Harpoon" missile is launched by the US Navy in the Pacific.
(Archive photo) © Imago Images
War in Ukraine: Two dozen anti-ship missiles could be enough
"If Putin persists, Ukraine could take out the largest Russian ships because they have nowhere to hide in the Black Sea," naval expert Bryan Clark of the US Hudson Institute told Reuters.
Clark further explained that twelve to 24 such missiles would be sufficient to threaten the Russian warships.
The British Ministry of Defense estimates that around 20 warships from Russia – including submarines – are currently in the Black Sea.
A handful of countries would be willing to send "Harpoon" missiles to Ukraine, the US sources told Reuters.
But no one wants to be the first or only nation, fearing reprisals from Moscow if a ship is sunk with a missile from its own stock.
But if one state is just getting started, other countries could quickly follow, a US official said.
also read
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Ukraine rejects ceasefire and makes final demands on Russia
In principle, all requests for weapons or deliveries of weapons made in the United States must be approved by the US Department of State.
Should a nation agree to a delivery, however, approval by the USA should only be a matter of form.
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