Washington is increasing its aid to Ukraine. A large new delivery of weapons is planned, including ammunition for a state-of-the-art rocket launcher, which Russia is said to have recently added to. The Pentagon considers Ukrainian territory gains possible as a result of the package.
The US Department of Defense has announced further arms and ammunition deliveries to Ukraine worth around 775 million dollars (around 772 million euros). Washington wants to enable Ukraine to have a “continuous supply of ammunition,” said a senior Pentagon official. Kyiv has made good use of the 19 arms deliveries from Washington so far, the government representative added. At the moment, “no progress” can be seen for Russia on the battlefield.
The now announced delivery should include, among other things, precisely controllable rockets for rocket launchers of the HIMARS type. The system had already enabled the Ukrainian army in the past few weeks to hit Russian command centers and ammunition depots far behind the front line. Anti-tank guided missiles of the TOW and Javelin types will also be part of the next delivery, as well as anti-radar missiles, surveillance drones and howitzers.
According to the Pentagon official, Moscow continues to pay a “heavy price” from Ukrainian attacks, particularly from the HIMARS missile launchers. The Russian units would be prevented from advancing. The Ukrainian army has not succeeded in gaining any significant territory in the south and east of the country – but the new arms deliveries would strengthen Kiev’s armed forces and promote “successes on the battlefield”.
In particular, the demining equipment that Washington will now deliver is aimed at helping Ukraine “take back areas”. The Russian air defense system is also said to be weakened with HARM anti-radar missiles.
