Ukraine urges the US to increase the level of arms support

Goverment America has not yet supplied Kiev with US-made long-range multiple rocket systems (MLRS), Politico newspaper reported on May 18.

According to Politico, although Kiev has been offering to hand over the MLRS system for months now, the White House appears to be holding back, concerned that the handover could be interpreted by Moscow as a further escalation.

A member of congress familiar with the discussions held at the US Ramstein Air Base in April told Politico the momentum seen in the negotiations appeared to have cooled.

Another official in the administration of President Joe Biden confirmed to Politico, Washington and Kiev are actively discussing the MLRS, however, not all weapons requested by Ukraine can be delivered quickly.

The White House must make a decision on the delivery of the systems weapon bring the greatest benefit. With this in mind, the Washington administration decided that it would be more efficient and effective to send 90 M777 howitzers as more could be sent with the allotted amount than the MLRS.

Politico noted that while the US has had no problem shipping many Soviet-era multiple launch missile systems to Ukraine, Washington has not yet supplied Kiev with artillery systems with longer ranges and destructive power. larger – weapons that the Ukrainian military can use to attack targets inside Russia.

According to the article, President Volodymyr Zelensky listed the M142 HIMARS and M270 MLRS multiple launch rocket systems as among the weapons most needed by Ukraine.

The M270 MLRS has a range of up to 70 km and more than 165 km with more advanced missiles. More modern HIMARS can hit targets 300 to 500 km away.

In addition to the US, Ukraine is also pressing Germany. Die Welt newspaper reported that last week, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba had a private conversation with German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht on the sidelines of a meeting of G7 foreign ministers in the country. Mr. Kuleba is said to have asked Ms. Lambrecht to answer on whether Berlin would deliver the previously promised Gepard self-propelled anti-aircraft gun to Kiev.

According to the newspaper, the Ukrainian side requested or Germany promptly provided the missing weapons, or admit that the topic is no longer discussed – in which case Berlin will have to focus on a new project. Ukrainian sources told Die Welt it was a difficult conversation. The German defense minister is said to have promised Mr. Kuleba that Berlin would continue to search for the missing weapons in third countries.

The German government gave the green light for the delivery of Gepard self-propelled anti-aircraft guns to Ukraine at the end of April. However, there has not been any progress since then.

During the meeting, Mr. Kuleba is also said to have urged Ms. Lambrecht to issue an export license for the batch tank Leopard 1 and Marder infantry fighting vehicle with ammunition for Ukraine.