The Trump administration has just approved the $850 million sale of 3,350 Extended Range Active Missiles (ERAMs) to Ukraine — a package that looks bold on paper but comes with asterisks written in fine print.
The missiles, due to arrive in Ukraine within six weeks, have a strike range of 241 to 450 kilometers (150–280 miles). Impressive numbers, but there’s a catch: every launch will still require Pentagon approval. In other words, Kyiv gets the hardware, Washington keeps the trigger.
The timing of the deal is no coincidence. It was held back until after Donald Trump met Vladimir Putin in Alaska and Volodymyr Zelensky in Washington — a choreography that underscores the tightrope Trump is walking. He wants to arm Ukraine, but not so much that it pushes Russia over the edge.
For months, Trump has called deep strikes into Russia “unacceptable escalation.” The Pentagon has enforced that line, quietly blocking Ukraine from using Western long-range weapons for such missions. And yet, here comes a massive shipment of exactly those missiles.
European allies are footing most of the bill, signaling their desperation to keep Ukraine in the fight. Russia, predictably, has condemned the move, warning it will “only prolong the conflict.” But the real story is this: the U.S. is arming Ukraine while still keeping Putin in the room.
This is not a blank check for Kyiv — it’s a controlled drip-feed of power. Enough to sustain, not enough to unleash. Trump is gambling that this balancing act will keep the war contained. The danger? One miscalculation, and those 280 miles of range could redraw the battlefield overnight.
