The US has not yet agreed to the request for aid of multiple rocket launchers to Ukraine

M270 multiple rocket launcher manufactured by Lockheed Martin Lockheed Martin

Multi-barrel rocket launcher on the list of weapons requested by Ukraine for many months. According to the newspaper Politico on May 18, leading officials military and civilians of the Kyiv government repeatedly directly asked their American counterparts to aid this line of weapons.

An unnamed government official President Joe Biden confirmed that the two countries continue to have “active discussions” on multiple rocket launchers. However, although the US has provided military aid worth $3.8 billion to Ukraine since Russia launched hostilities on February 24, not any of Kyiv’s requests have been quickly responded to.

According to the official, the White House is forced to choose which weapons should be sent to Ukraine to have the most effect in the framework of the aid money.

Over the past few weeks, the Biden administration has decided to choose howitzer M777 (90 guns in total). With howitzers, the U.S. can send more guns and ammunition attached than multiple (more expensive) multiple rocket launchers.

Since February, the US has been quietly supplying Ukraine with Soviet-made multiple rocket artillery systems. However, the Kyiv government wants to have more powerful and accurate weapons systems manufactured by the US for battlefields like the Donbass.

According to several sources familiar with the matter, the White House does not want to send the MLRS or a version of it, the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), as this could be an escalation from the Kremlin’s perspective. MLRS and HIMARS both have a longer range and more destructive power than traditional mortars.