U.S. to provide Ukraine with advanced rocket systems

U.S. President Joe Biden announced on Tuesday that the United States will provide Ukraine with advanced rocket system that will enable a precise strike on key enemy targets. The new munitions will allow Ukraine to launch rockets up to about 77 kilometers to stand against Russia’s air force, which outmatched Ukraine’s. Yet President Biden stated clearly that albeit providing assistance to Ukraine, the U.S. is not seeking a war between NATO and Russia, nor does it look to bring about Russian President Vladimir Putin’s ouster in Moscow.

The High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) that the U.S. is sending is capable of precision-guided striking on targets that are located as far as 77 kilometers away. The aid package for Ukraine includes Javeline anti-tank missiles, Stinger ground-to-air missiles, field guns, precision-guided rockets, counterfire radars, air surveillance radars, unmanned aerial vehicles, helicopters, and additional munitions. The Guardian stated that the package would be a “game changer” for Ukraine. Russia has reportedly taken control of 80% of Severodonetsk, one of the regions in Luhansk, eastern Donbas.

In an op-ed entitled “What America Will and Will Not Do in Ukraine” on The New York Times, the U.S. president stated that the United States will not try to bring about Putin’s ouster in Moscow, nor is it encouraging or enabling Ukraine to strike beyond its borders, expressing a considerably mitigated response compared to the previous hard-lined response that called for regime change in Russia.

“Ultimately this war will only definitively end through diplomacy,” wrote President Biden. “As much as I disagree with Mr. Putin, and find his actions an outrage, the United States will not try to bring about his ouster in Moscow.” In the meantime, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukraine will fight until it gains all its territory back, showing a different stance from President Biden, by saying that Ukraine seeks full restoration of territory, including Crimea that was annexed by Russia in 2014.


newsoo@donga.com