MOSCOW, February 1. /TASS/. US-made GLSDB (Ground Launched Small Diameter Bomb) munitions, capable of hitting targets at a distance of up to 150 kilometers, are already on their way to the zone of hostilities in Ukraine, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland told reporters in Kiev.
According to a report by RBC-Ukraine, Nuland also pledged to help restore Ukraine’s defense industry.
Earlier, the US official met with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmygal, Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba and Defense Minister Rustem Umerov.
Pentagon spokesman Patrick Ryder told a briefing on Tuesday that he was not ready to specify the terms of GLSDB delivery. "We’ll defer to Ukraine to talk about any delivery," he added.
In the fall of 2022, Boeing asked the US administration to purchase its GLSDB projectiles and supply them to Ukraine. Boeing makes the bombs together with the Swedish defense company SAAB. Kiev was expected to receive them in the spring of 2023. Last February, the Politico reported that the delivery would be made by the end of 2023.
In November 2023, a Pentagon source told Reuters that the US expects to provide Ukraine with this key capability in early 2024 after successful testing. Since the contract to begin GLSDB production was signed in March, the delivery was delayed.