State Department Notifies Congress of Ukraine Arms Sale

Aug. 31—Last week, the Wall Street Journal reported, among other things, that the Trump administration had approved the sale of a large lot—3,350 of them to be precise—of the air-launched Extended Range Attack Munition, or ERAM, to Ukraine. The State Department officially announced Aug. 28 that it had notified the U.S. Congress of the approved sale, to be financed by Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway and Foreign Military Financing from the United States.

The announcement includes the farcical claim that the proposed sale “will support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of a partner country that is a force for political stability and economic progress in Europe.” Furthermore, it adds: “This proposed sale will improve Ukraine’s capability to meet current and future threats by further equipping it to conduct self-defense and regional security missions.”

Technical details about the ERAM apparently have not been released but it is reported to have a range of up to 250 miles and was developed specifically for Ukraine. A source with knowledge of the "ERAM" mission say that their only possible purpose would be for precision strikes on targets inside the Russian Federation, to be launched from jet fighters provided Ukraine.