The United States won’t send long-range rocket systems to Ukraine, President Joe Biden said on May 30, amid speculation and reports that the administration had authorized the move.
“I won’t send anything that can fire into Russia,” Biden said at the White House when asked about those reports.
Last week, some news outlets reported that the White House was preparing to deploy advanced, long-range rocket systems that officials in Kyiv have requested in recent days. Those reports, including one from CNN, cited purported unidentified Defense Department officials that the United States would send Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) or the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) to Ukraine’s military.
Those weapons would represent a marked improvement over the weapons that Ukraine’s forces currently have. The MLRS can fire rockets at targets hundreds of miles away, meaning Kyiv could potentially strike targets or infrastructure inside Russia—which would represent an escalation in the months-long conflict.
“Certainly we’re mindful and aware of Ukrainian asks, privately and publicly, for what is known as a multiple launch rocket system. And I won’t get ahead of decisions that haven’t been made yet,” Pentagon press secretary John Kirby told reporters last week.
Earlier this month, Congress approved a $40 billion aid package, including weapons, for Ukraine. It was later signed by Biden, drawing criticism from a small number of Republicans.
Inside Ukraine, Russian troops have entered the outskirts of the eastern city of Sievierodonetsk, according to the regional governor, who described fierce fighting on May 30 over the ruins of a city that has become the focus of Moscow’s offensive.
At the same time, European Union has sought to make Moscow pay a heavy price for invading Ukraine, although leaders arriving for a summit acknowledged they were unlikely to approve a new round of sanctions yet, having failed to agree to ban imports of Russian oil.
While incessant shelling has left Ukrainian forces defending ruins in Sievierodonetsk, their refusal to withdraw has slowed the wider Russian offensive across the Donbas region.
Luhansk region Gov. Serhiy Gaidai said Russian troops had advanced into the city’s southeastern and northeastern fringes.
The Russians “use the same tactics over and over again. They shell for several hours—for three, four, five hours in a row—and then attack,” he said. “Those who attack die. Then shelling and attack follow again, and so on until they break through somewhere.”
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