Ukraine to Get MLRS, Told Not to Fire on Russian Territory

The United States plans to announce a $700 million military aid package to Ukraine, which includes long-range Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS).

“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,” U.S. President Joe Biden in a New York Times article published Tuesday evening.

A White House spokesman told Bloomberg that the Ukrainian authorities have guaranteed that they will not use new missile systems to strike at Russian territory. The package will include M142 HIMARS long-range MLRS, radar stations, helicopters, vehicles and anti-tank weapons, including Javelin missile systems. Some of the missiles that Ukraine will receive have a range of about 80km.

The White House will reportedly announce the new $700 million security assistance package on Wednesday, U.S. officials said. Since the war began, Washington has supplied more than $4.5 billion in military aid.

In an attempt to weaken Russia so that it can’t again attack a neighbor, the U.S. is imposing a slew of sanctions on Moscow and is bolstering Ukraine’s military with billions of dollars in arms.

“If Russia does not pay a heavy price for its actions, it will send a message to other would-be aggressors that they too can seize territory and subjugate other countries,” Biden wrote. “It could mark the end of the rules-based international order and open the door to aggression elsewhere, with catastrophic consequences the world over.”