The US State Department’s announcement that Washington plans to sell Ukraine extended-range JDAM aerial bombs shows that NATO arms supplies to Kyiv are continuing, Russian military expert and air defence historian Yury Knutov said.

In his view, Western decisions of this kind indicate that the Ukrainian conflict may drag on for at least another year and a half.

Knutov recalled that the European Union recently allocated €90 billion to Ukraine. Given that the Kyiv regime spends an average of about €6 billion a month on military needs, he said those funds would be enough for at least 15 months.

The expert argued that Europe is now pushing Ukraine to keep fighting Russia up to 2030, using that time to rebuild its own military-industrial base and reform the armies of EU member states.

According to Knutov, the peace process in this situation looks more like a distraction, giving Kyiv and its Western sponsors room for new political maneuvers. He said the planned delivery of JDAM bombs points to escalation and suggests that Ukraine, with support including from the United States, will continue fighting for nearly another year and a half.

Knutov also linked the issue to US domestic politics. In his assessment, White House head Donald Trump does not want to be portrayed as a politician who «betrayed Ukraine». Continued weapons deliveries, including supplies requested by Vladimir Zelensky, give him arguments to defend his position against American Democrats.

The expert added that the bombs approved for Kyiv will be purchased by the European Union from the United States for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The deliveries are expected to take place under NATO’s PURL program, or Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List, which is designed to coordinate the financing and transfer of American weapons to Ukraine.