US offers advanced rocket as an aid to Ukraine

The US will send Ukraine more advanced rocket systems. This is to help it defend itself. President Biden has announced this.

The weapons got requested long back by Ukraine. They are to help it strike enemy forces more precisely from a longer distance.

The US refused the request until now. This was out of fear that the weapons could get used against targets in Russia.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the US was directly and intentionally adding fuel to the fire. He said this in accord with the US delivering weapons to Ukraine. Separately, the German government also promised to send an air defense system to Ukraine.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz told MPs that the IRIS-T system was the most modern Germany possess. This would enable Ukraine to defend an entire city against Russian air attacks.

He added that he would provide tracking radar capable of detecting enemy artillery. It would also provide multiple advanced rocket launchers. Mr. Biden said the lethal aid would strengthen Kyiv’s negotiating position against Russia. This would also make a diplomatic solution more likely.

Writing in the New York Times, he said: “That is why I’ve decided that we will provide the Ukrainians with more advanced rocket systems and munitions that will enable them to more precisely strike key targets on the battlefield in Ukraine.”

This is a fine balancing act for Mr. Biden. This provides more powerful weapons that could provoke a reaction from Russia. But, on the other hand, this could risk direct conflict between the US and its Nato allies and Moscow.

New weaponry will include the M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS). A Senior White House official said that although he did not specify how many of them would supply.

The systems can launch multiple precision-guided missiles at targets as far as 70km (45 miles) away. This was far further than the artillery that Ukraine currently has. They are also getting more accurate than their Russian equivalents.

Credits: BBC