Speaking to ETV show "Ukraina stuudio," Kannik said: "I think a decision on providing long-range strike capabilities may not be far off. Perhaps it will come in the next few weeks or months."

Kannik noted the U.S. and other western governments have so far been hesitant to provide sufficient military assistance for Ukraine to gain a decisive victory in the ongoing war, now well into its third year – or 10th year if counting the shadow war Russia pursued in eastern Ukraine – yet have provided enough to keep the country in the fight and to prevent a Russian victory.

Between now and then of course comes a presidential election in the U.S.; current incumbent Joe Biden, who is not seeking re-election, has not ventured to go further with military aid to Ukraine mainly thanks to fears of escalation given that Russia is a nuclear power; in any case "we will not see the type of defense of Ukrainian airspace in the next few months that the U.S. and some allies have provided for Israel," the ICDS chief went on.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's plan to secure support from Western leaders is likely focuses on three specific areas, Kannik said: The continuation of military support including air defense and increasing ammunition production; the political dimension, meaning Ukraine's expedited accession to NATO and the EU, along with broader security guarantees; and also economic support for Ukraine.

Longer-range weaponry could include the frequently talked about MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS), which when launched by the M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) have a longer range, reaching about 300 kilomters, than the standard Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS)  missiles.

The longer range capabilities would have the effect of pushing Russia's rear echelons further back and hampering its ability in occupied eastern Ukraine, where it has been making slow but steady progress of late, and at a time when Ukraine itself has been able to make a major incursion into Russian territory further west, in the Kursk oblast.

An interactive map of the Ukraine front is here.

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