The US will support Ukraine with the most modern weapons in the fight against Russia. Among other things, Washington wants to supply Kyiv with multiple rocket launchers of the Himar type, as a high-ranking US government official confirmed on Tuesday evening. The system is said to come with ammunition with a range of 80 kilometers. US President Joe Biden on Monday ruled out the delivery of multiple rocket launchers to Ukraine that could reach targets in Russia.
The system is part of a $700 million package that also includes missiles, radar systems, Javelin anti-tank weapons, helicopters, vehicles and spare parts.
The long-range artillery system Himar (M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System) should improve Ukraine’s military capabilities in the fight against Russia, says a government official. “These systems are used by the Ukrainians to repel Russian advances into Ukrainian territory, but they are not used against targets on Russian territory.”
Earlier, US President Joe Biden announced in an op-ed piece for the New York Times that he would deliver “more advanced missile systems” to Ukraine. These would “allow for more accurate hitting of key targets on the battlefield in Ukraine,” Biden wrote. However, he emphasized: “We do not encourage or enable Ukraine to strike beyond its borders”.
The system is mounted on a truck and can carry a container with six missiles. It can fire a missile that typically has a range of around 70 kilometers. In Washington, it is expected that Ukraine could use the missiles in Donbass to intercept Russian artillery and demolish Russian positions in cities where fierce fighting was raging, such as Sieverodonetsk.
The Russian offensive in eastern Ukraine, where the Kremlin has been trying to expand areas controlled by pro-Russian separatists for years, is currently focusing on this strategically important city in the Luhansk region.
The Himar vehicle-mounted system can fire missiles with a range of several hundred kilometers. However, as the government representative pointed out, the US does not want to supply ammunition with such a long range. “These systems are used by the Ukrainians to repel Russian advances into Ukrainian territory, but they are not used against Russia,” the official said.
