President Biden announced in an op-ed Tuesday that his administration will send advanced missile systems to Ukraine — reversing course from a day earlier when he said the US would not deliver the rockets to the war-torn country.
“We have moved quickly to send Ukraine a significant amount of weaponry and ammunition so it can fight on the battlefield and be in the strongest possible position at the negotiating table,” Biden wrote in a New York Times op-ed.
“That’s why 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.”
Biden’s change of heart came after several officials criticized the president’s refusal to send Ukraine missiles as the country continues to fight off Russia’s brutal invasion that began on Feb. 24. --->READ MORE HERE
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| Tony Overman/The Olympian via AP, File |
The U.S. on Wednesday unveiled a new $700 million package of sophisticated weapons for Ukraine in an urgent effort to prevent Russia from seizing the final swaths of land in the Donbas region. But the most advanced rocket systems will take at least three weeks to reach the battlefront, raising questions of whether they will arrive in time to stop Russia’s slow but steady gains.
The Biden administration’s decision to send four medium-range rocket systems came after weeks of debate over whether the precision-guided weapons would provoke a strong military reaction from Russian President Vladimir Putin. It suggested the U.S. believes it has zeroed in on what weapons deliveries are worth the risk.
“We don’t have an interest in the conflict in Ukraine widening to a broader conflict or evolving into World War Three. So we’ve been mindful of that,” said Colin Kahl, the defense undersecretary for policy. “But at the same time, Russia doesn’t get a veto over what we send to the Ukrainians.”
Still, Kahl and other U.S. officials said that Ukrainian leaders have promised they will use the rockets only to defend their nation.
“The Ukrainians have given us assurances that they will not use these systems against targets on Russian territory,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday. “There is a strong trust bond between Ukraine and the United States.” --->READ MORE HEREFollow links below to +++++relevant+++++ and related stories:
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