Biden Says US Will Not Send Ukraine Long-Range Rockets That Can Reach Russia

 

Russia had warned sending such weapons would be a step toward 'unacceptable escalation'

by Dave DeCamp 

Posted onMay 30, 2022CategoriesNewsTagsRussia, Ukraine

President Biden on Monday told reporters that the US will not send Ukraine rocket systems that can strike targets inside Russian territory.

“We’re not going to send to Ukraine rocket systems that strike into Russia,” Biden told reporters.

Biden’s comments came after several media outlets reported that the administration was leaning towards providing Ukraine with Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS) and High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), which Ukrainian officials have been requesting for months.

Both the MLRS and the HIMARS can reach targets over 100 miles away if equipped with certain long-range munitions. But the media reports said if Kyiv was given the weapons, they would likely receive rockets that can reach between 20-45 miles, which would still be the longest range weapons given to Ukraine. The shells fired by the M777 Howitzers the US has been shipping to Ukraine can reach about 15 miles.

After the reports came out that the US was considering giving Ukraine long-range rockets, Russian officials warned strongly against the move. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said it would be a “serious step towards unacceptable escalation.”

Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, who currently serves as the deputy head of Russia’s Security Council, welcomed Biden’s decision not to give Ukraine weapons that can hit Russia, calling it “rational.”

The US is expected to announce a new weapons package for Ukraine soon that will be taken from the new $40 billion aid package Biden recently signed into law.

https://news.antiwar.com/2022/05/30/biden-says-us-will-not-send-ukraine-long-range-rockets-that-can-reach-russia/