US close to decision on long-range missiles for Ukraine to strike deep into Russia

Reuters writes about this with reference to American officials.

According to the publication, this fall the United States may announce the inclusion of American precision air-to-surface cruise missiles (JASSM) in the weapons package.

US officials have noted that sending JASSM to Ukraine could significantly change the course of the Russian-Ukrainian war, as most of the Russian Federation will be within the range of precision munitions.

The publication says that if JASSM missiles are launched near Ukraine's northern border, they can reach military facilities in the Russian cities of Voronezh and Bryansk. And if launched from the south of Ukraine, near the front line, the missiles could strike airfields or naval facilities in occupied Crimea. 

Military analysts also suggest that the use of JASSMs, which are stealthy and strike farther than most other missiles in Ukraine's current arsenal, could push Russian footholds and supply depots back hundreds of miles.

US authorization of long-range strikes against Russia

 On August 29, CNN reported that Andriy Yermak and Rustem Umerov would meet with US officials to “try to specifically persuade the White House to lift restrictions on long-range armed strikes on Russian territory.”

At a meeting with senior officials in Washington, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov presented a list of targets in Russia that the Ukrainian Armed Forces could strike with American long-range weapons if they had the opportunity.

On August 31, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also appealed to a number of Western countries to grant Ukraine permission to conduct long-range strikes against Russia.