Boris Johnson has said that Ukraine should be provided with long-range rocket launch (MLRS) systems to help Kyiv’s assaulted forces prevent Russian invaders from gaining ground on the Donbas.
But the prime minister failed to promise the United Kingdom to send the powerful M270 rocket system, which Kyiv has been asking for from Britain, the United States and other NATO members for several weeks.
Johnson said the MLRS would allow Ukraine to “defend itself from such brutal Russian artillery, and this is where the world has to go” in an interview with Bloomberg Television.
He added that Putin’s forces “continued to chew land” in the Donbas region, making “slow progress, but I’m afraid it’s palpable,” as they approach Sievierodonetsk, Ukraine’s easternmost city.
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Johnson’s comments seem to confirm that there has been a significant shift in stance on weapons among Western nations.
The United States had earlier rejected Ukraine’s request for long-range rockets, but overnight, briefings suggested that the White House was now willing to supply them. An announcement could come next week, CNN reported, of a weapon that could have a significant impact on the fighting.
Much more powerful than conventional artillery, the M270 MLRS rockets have a maximum range of over 100 miles (165 km) and can fire up to 12 projectiles per minute from an armored vehicle. Its firepower goes far beyond the original commitment of NATO members to send only “defensive systems” to Ukraine when the war began.
The British M270 has a range of 52 miles, although 44 of the Army stock are being upgraded to 93 miles. Ukraine’s existing conventional artillery has a maximum range of about 15 miles, including M177 shells provided by the U.S. military to help defend the Russians at Donbas.
Surface-to-surface rockets are manufactured by Lockheed Martin and have been purchased by the US, the UK and almost 30 other countries. Some smaller countries had been willing to send MLRS weapons through larger third countries, but to the frustration of the Ukrainians, the larger nations had not been willing to move forward.
Kira Rudik, a Ukrainian MP for the centrist Golos party, said during a visit to the United Kingdom that Ukraine needed more powerful weapons. “There’s this discussion about getting us more MLRS systems. I know the British government is deciding now if they can get to us from the UK and that’s going to be great. That’s something we need right now,” he said.