WASHINGTON – President Biden said on Tuesday that the United States would send advanced rocket and ammunition systems to Ukraine that would allow it to more accurately direct Russian military assets within its borders.
In a comment posted online Tuesday evening by The New York Times, Mr Biden said the delivery of advanced rocket systems would allow Ukraine to “fight on the battlefield and be in the strongest possible position at the negotiating table.” “.
The Biden administration has already sent billions of dollars to Ukraine in anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles, helicopters and other military equipment as the country seeks to repel the Russian invasion three months ago.
As the war dragged on, the Biden administration gradually expanded the range of weapons it provided to the Ukrainians. But senior government officials have been concerned about provoking a wider war with Russian President Vladimir V. Putin by providing weapons that could allow Ukraine to attack inside its country.
In his article, Biden stressed that the new rockets would be used to “attack key targets on the battlefield of Ukraine.” And he said the United States was not seeking to involve Russia in a wider conflict.
He stated bluntly that he did not intend to overthrow Mr Putin, despite his awkward statements during a speech in Poland earlier this year, when he said the Russian president “cannot remain in power”.
On Tuesday, Mr Biden presented a different view.
“We are not looking for a war between NATO and Russia,” he said. “As much as he disagrees with Mr Putin and considers his actions an outrage, the United States will not try to provoke his expulsion from Moscow.”
He added: “As long as the United States or our allies are not attacked, we will not be directly involved in this conflict, either by sending American troops to fight in Ukraine or by attacking Russian forces.”
Mr Biden told reporters on Monday that “we will not send rocket systems into Ukraine that could attack Russia”.
Officials have not provided details on what types of rockets the United States will provide. What the Pentagon uses most often is the M31 GMLRS, for the guided multi-launch rocket system, a satellite-guided precision weapon that carries about the same explosive power as a 500-pound bomb dropped from the ground. air.
It can fly more than 40 miles, far beyond the range of any artillery it now uses in Ukraine. According to a report released by the Congressional Research Service in June, the Pentagon has spent approximately $ 5.4 billion to buy more than 42,000 such rockets since 1998.
But Biden made it clear in his remarks on Tuesday that the administration was ready to provide more advanced weapons to Ukraine as the Russian military gains gains in the eastern part of the country.
“Being by the side of Ukraine in its time of need is not the right thing to do,” he wrote. “It is in our vital national interests to ensure a peaceful and stable Europe and to make it clear that this is not right.”