Deadly attack by Russian troops in the Ukrainian capital 0:44
(CNN) --
The United States plans to announce as soon as this week that it has purchased an advanced medium-to-long-range surface-to-air missile defense system for Ukraine, a source familiar with the announcement told CNN.
Russian Missiles Hit Kyiv as G7 Summit Begins in Europe
President Joe Biden, who is currently meeting with G7 leaders in Germany for a summit focused primarily on Ukraine, recently announced that the US would provide Ukraine with "more advanced rocket systems and munitions" as its war with Russia progresses. Russia.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is scheduled to address Biden and other G7 leaders virtually on Monday.
The Chancellor of Germany, Olaf Scholz;
US President Joe Biden;
the Prime Minister of Great Britain, Boris Johnson;
the Prime Minister of Japan, Fumio Kishida;
the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen;
the President of the European Council, Charles Michel;
the Prime Minister of Italy, Mario Draghi;
Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and France's President Emmanuel Macron sat at a round table as Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky addresses G7 leaders via video link during their session of work on June 27, 2022 at Elmau Castle in southern Germany.
(BENOIT TESSIER/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
In response to requests from Ukrainian forces, new military assistance, including additional artillery ammunition and counter-battery radar, is also likely to be announced this week.
Ukrainian officials have requested the anti-missile defense system, known as NASAMS, as the weapons can hit targets more than 100 miles away, though Ukrainian forces will likely need to be trained on the systems, a source said.
The United States has been constantly announcing additional security assistance for Ukraine.
Last week, the Biden administration announced an additional $450 million in military assistance to Ukraine, giving it four more multiple launch rocket systems and artillery munitions for other systems.
The Ukrainian city of Severodonetsk is "completely under Russian occupation" after months of fighting
And earlier this month, the Biden administration said it will provide an additional $1 billion in military aid to Ukraine, a package that includes shipments of additional howitzers, ammunition and coastal defense systems.
G7 meeting talks about Russia's war in Ukraine 2:57
CNN reported last week that US assessments of the war increasingly predict a long and hard battle in eastern Ukraine, with heavy losses of personnel and equipment on both sides.
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US officials believe Russian forces plan to sustain intense attacks in the east, characterized by heavy artillery and missile strikes, with the intention of wearing down Ukrainian forces and NATO's resolve over time.
For Ukraine's part, its military has been burning Soviet-era munitions that are retrofitted to older systems, and Western governments have been faced with a difficult decision about whether they want to continue to increase their assistance to the country, something Biden has already addressed. committed to do.
"We will continue to lead the world in providing historic assistance in support of Ukraine's fight for freedom," the president wrote in an op-ed in The New York Times last month.
war in ukraine
