Biden confirms U.S. is sending advanced rocket systems to Ukraine
By Rachel Pannett and John Hudson
Updated May 31, 2022 at 11:55 p.m. EDT|Published May 31, 2022 at 9:56 p.m. EDT
President Biden on Tuesday confirmed that his administration is sending medium-range advanced rocket systems to Ukraine, responding to a top request from Ukrainian officials who say the weapons are necessary to curb the advance of Russian forces in the east.
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Biden said the more advanced rocket systems and munitions, which can pinpoint an enemy target nearly 50 miles away, will enable Ukraine “to more precisely strike key targets on the battlefield.” Ukrainian officials provided assurances they would not use the weapons to strike targets inside Russia, a senior U.S. official said. Such a move could risk an escalation in the conflict, potentially provoking Russian retaliation against U.S. forces or allies.
“America’s goal is straightforward: We want to see a democratic, independent, sovereign and prosperous Ukraine with the means to deter and defend itself against further aggression,” Biden said in an essay published Tuesday evening in the New York Times. “We do not seek a war between NATO and Russia,” his essay added.
An announcement on advanced rocket systems had been expected this week, as officials weighed how to help Kyiv defend itself without further inflaming tensions with Russia.
U.S. is preparing to send advanced rocket systems to Ukraine
The United States is sending the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, or HIMARS, which will extend Ukraine’s reach in the ongoing artillery war with Russia, a senior administration official said Tuesday. The United States will not provide the longest-range munitions for the system to Ukraine, said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military matters. The advanced weapons are part of a new $700 million package of military equipment.
HIMARS is a type of Multiple Launch Rocket System. Typical rockets fired by these systems have a range of about 43 miles, according to U.S. Army data. Ukrainians currently use a Russian-made version of this system, the official said.
The Kremlin has warned that any country providing advanced weaponry to Ukraine will face harsh repercussions. On Friday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the West has “declared total war” against Russia.
Shortly after the essay published, Russia’s Defense Ministry said its strategic missile forces were conducting exercises in Ivanovo, northeast of Moscow. According to state media reports, the strategic missile division is Moscow’s main force responsible for “nuclear deterrence of possible aggression.” The exercises reportedly involved the Yars, a Russian intercontinental ballistic missile.
In his essay, Biden offered assurances to Russian President Vladimir Putin that the United States does not intend to provoke a wider conflict or the use of weapons of mass destruction.
“We are not encouraging or enabling Ukraine to strike beyond its borders. We do not want to prolong the war just to inflict pain on Russia,” Biden wrote. He added that “we currently see no indication that Russia has intent to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine, though Russia’s occasional rhetoric to rattle the nuclear saber is itself dangerous and extremely irresponsible.”
Ukraine’s forces are already using U.S.-delivered M777 howitzers, which have a range of about 18 miles. Other sophisticated weapons the United States has sent include thousands of Stinger and Javelin shoulder-fired missiles.
The addition of the HIMARS system to Ukraine’s arsenal comes as Kyiv loses ground to Moscow in an artillery-dominated battle in Donbas, despite the flood of U.S. and Western arms.
Russian forces now control most of Severodonetsk, one of the last major Ukrainian-held areas of the eastern Luhansk region, local officials said Tuesday evening. Russia has pummeled the city for weeks, and capturing it would give the Kremlin a significant symbolic victory.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his nightly address Tuesday that Moscow’s combat power is at “maximum” strength in the area.
War in Ukraine: What you need to know
The latest: Russian forces appear to be closing in on their goal of seizing the entire Luhansk region in eastern Ukraine, Western military analysts say, with the Kremlin claiming it has control of Lyman, a key transport hub, and its troops locked in a fierce battle for the city of Severodonetsk. Capturing Severodonetsk would be a symbolic victory for the Kremlin. It is the last big city in Luhansk not under Russian occupation.
The fight: A slowly regenerating Russian army is making incremental gains in eastern Ukraine against valiant but underequipped Ukrainian forces. The United States and its allies are racing to deliver the enormous quantities of weaponry the Ukrainians urgently need if they are to hold the Russians at bay.
The weapons: Ukraine is making use of weapons such as Javelin antitank missiles and Switchblade “kamikaze” drones, provided by the United States and other allies. Russia has used an array of weapons against Ukraine, some of which have drawn the attention and concern of analysts.
Photos: Post photographers have been on the ground from the very beginning of the war — here’s some of their most powerful work.
How you can help: Here are ways those in the U.S. can help support the Ukrainian people as well as what people around the world have been donating.
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