Ukrainian gunners on an American-made Howitzer artillery piece in eastern Ukraine. . Photo by Ivor Prickett for the New York Times
WASHINGTON-The President Joe Biden On Tuesday he said the United States would send advanced missile and ammunition systems to Ukraine that would allow it to more accurately target Russian military assets within its borders.
In an opinion piece published online Tuesday evening by New York TimesBiden said the delivery of the advanced rocket systems would allow Ukraine to “fight on the battlefield and be in strongest position possible at the negotiating table “.
Joe Biden speaks in the Oval Office of the White House on Tuesday, May 31, 2022 in Washington. .AP Photo / Evan Vucci, File.
The Biden administration has already sent billions of dollars to Ukraine anti-tank and anti-aircraft missilesunmanned aerial vehicles, helicopters and other military equipment as the country tries to repel the 3-month Russian invasion.
As the war progressed, the Biden administration gradually expanded the range of weapons it provided to Ukrainians.
But senior administration officials worried unleash a wider war with the president of Russia Vladimir Putin providing weapons that could allow Ukraine to strike deep inside its country.
In his article, Biden pointed out that the new rockets would be used to “attack key objectives on the battlefield in Ukraine.
And he said the US hasn’t tried to involve Russia in a wider conflict.
He said it bluntly did not seek to overthrow to Putin, despite his off-the-cuff comments during a speech in Poland earlier this year, when he said the Russian president “cannot remain in power”.
Biden presented a different view on Tuesday.
“We are not looking for a war between NATO and Russia,” he said.
“However much he disagrees with Putin and finds his actions an outrage, the United States will not try to provoke his overthrow in Moscow.”
He added: “As long as the United States or our allies are not attacked, we will not participate directly in this conflict, neither by sending American troops to fight in Ukraine nor by attacking Russian forces.”
Biden told reporters on Monday that “we will not send missile systems to Ukraine that can hit Russia.”
Officials did not provide details on what types of rockets the United States will supply.
What the Pentagon uses most often is andl M31 GMLRSfor the Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System, a satellite-guided precision weapon that has approximately the same explosive power as a 500-pound air-launched bomb.
It can fly more than 40 miles, well beyond the range of any artillery used by Ukraine.
According to a report released by the Congressional Research Service in June, the Pentagon spent about $ 5.4 billion to buy more than 42,000 rockets of this type since 1998.
But Biden made it clear in his editorial on Tuesday that the administration was ready to provide Ukraine with more advanced weapons as the Russian military advances into the eastern part of the country.
“Supporting Ukraine in times of need is not just the right thing to do,” he wrote.
“Standing alongside Ukraine in times of need is not just the right thing to do,” he wrote. “It is in our vital national interest to ensure a peaceful and stable Europe and to make it clear that force is not right.”
c.2022 The New York Times Company
Source: Clarin
