Joe Biden rules out supplying Ukraine with rocket launcher systems capable of reaching Russia
Eva Deschamps / May 31, 2022
We are not going to send rocket systems to Ukraine that can strike inside Russia, Joe Biden told reporters Monday morning.
U.S. media had claimed in recent days that Washington was preparing to deliver long-range multiple rocket launcher systems (MLRS) to Kiev, after Congress approved an additional $40 billion in aid to Ukraine.
But Pentagon spokesman John Kirby had not confirmed the dispatch of the MLRS M270s – modern, highly mobile vehicles with a firing range of 300 km.
A second type of system had been mentioned: the Himars with a range of 70 to 150 km — far superior to the batteries of M777 howitzers, which are currently delivered to Kiev and whose effective range does not exceed 40 km.
Ukrainian forces are currently struggling in the Donbass, where the Russian offensive has intensified around key towns. Russian forces have advanced towards the center of Severodonetsk, which has been shelled for weeks.
In this context, Ukrainian officials have asked the West for more weapons: Some partners avoid giving the necessary weapons for fear of escalation. Escalation, really? Russia is already using the heaviest non-nuclear weapons, burning people alive. Maybe it’s time (…) to give us MLRS (multiple rocket launchers), tweeted Mykhailo Podoliak, an adviser to the Ukrainian presidency.
Responses