After some hesitation, President Joe Biden has decided: To stop the Russian offensive, Ukraine will receive modern and long-range rocket launchers. Kyiv had to promise Washington not to attack targets in Russia.
The HIMARS missile system in action during an exercise in Morocco.
Ukrainians are also putting up heroic resistance to the Russian army in Donbass. So far, however, this has not been enough to stop the ongoing encirclement of Ukrainian troops in Lisichansk and Severodonetsk. The firepower of the Russian artillery is too devastating. This unequal balance of power had been foreseeable for many weeks. That’s why Kyiv has the Americans again and again asked for the delivery of modern multiple rocket launchers, in order to be able to precisely hit the Russian positions or supply lines from a greater distance. But American President Joe Biden hesitated.
Behind the scenes in Washington, a long tug of war was probably going on: Rocket launchers were already up for discussion at the Ukraine conference at the American Ramstein Air Force Base in Germany at the end of April. Two weeks ago, however, headlined “politico”: “Biden opposes Ukrainian demands for long-range rocket launchers.” Last week, the Pentagon leaked that Washington was preparing to ship rocket launchers, but the final decision rested with the White House. President Biden said on Sunday: “We are not supplying Ukraine with missile systems that hit Russia.”
Washington demands guarantees from Kyiv
The American President obviously fears that the step could lead to further escalation and an expansion of the war. At the same time, however, he has repeatedly stated that Vladimir Putin must not win a victory in Ukraine. To prevent this, Kyiv needs more powerful weapons as quickly as possible. And that’s why Biden has finally decided to deliver modern multiple rocket launchers. To justify the difficult decision, the American President published a special publication in the New York Times on Tuesday evening a guest comment to.
In his opinion piece, Biden formulated a clear US war goal: “We want a democratic, independent, sovereign and prosperous Ukraine that can defend itself against further attacks.” In the end, this war too would be resolved diplomatically, with the negotiations reflecting the realities on the battlefield. Washington wants to give Ukraine the strongest possible position at the negotiating table. “That’s why I decided to provide the Ukrainians with more modern missile systems and ammunition that will allow them to more accurately hit key targets on the battlefield.”
Noisy government circles in Washington the US will deliver its High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) to Ukraine. However, Kyiv had to promise Washington that its armed forces would not use it to attack targets in Russia. The truck-mounted HIMARS batteries contain six satellite-guided missiles. The weapon system works with missiles that can reach a range of up to 300 kilometers. However, Kyiv is now only to receive projectiles that fly almost 80 kilometers. But even this is still a marked improvement for Ukraine. The M-777 howitzers already delivered by Washington can hit targets at a distance of 25 to 50 kilometers.
The delivery of HIMARS is part of a new US package worth a total of $700 million. As President Biden assured in his opinion piece, the United States will also provide Ukraine with more anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles, radars, drones and M-17 helicopters. In Moscow, the announcement triggered outraged reactions. Washington is pouring oil on the fire, said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov described the delivery of modern rocket launchers as “extremely negative” and “dangerous”.
Biden’s hesitation reveals ambivalence
In anticipation of Russian reactions, however, Biden also sent clear messages to Moscow in his op-ed. Washington does not want a war between NATO and Russia: “As much as I disagree with Mr. Putin and find his actions disgraceful, the US will not try to overthrow him in Moscow.” And his government will not encourage or enable Ukraine to attack targets outside its borders.
At the same time, the American President described Moscow’s “nuclear saber-rattling” as “extremely irresponsible”. Whatever happens, the United States would stand by Ukraine: “Freedom is not free.” And this war is not just about Ukraine’s freedom: “If Russia doesn’t pay a big price for its actions, it sends a message to other would-be aggressors that they too can conquer territories and subjugate other countries.” If Putin expects the United States and its allies to cave in in the coming months, he is wrong.
When exactly and in what number the rocket launchers will arrive on the battlefield in Ukraine is not yet clear. It will probably be weeks before the Ukrainian soldiers are trained for this. Weeks in which Kiev’s forces have paid a heavy toll in blood in the Donbass to contain the Russian offensive. And this in turn raises the following question: Why did Biden delay delivery for so long, even though the basis for the decision had been clear for weeks? The American President has done a lot for Ukraine. More than any other western leader. But like that “Wall Street Journal” remarked in a comment, his attitude is also ambivalent.