The Biden Administration has pledged to send Ukraine a $700 million dollar aid package to assist in the war with Russia. Included in this latest military aid for President Zelensky’s embattled government is what Ukraine has been asking for since the war started; advanced rocket systems and munitions to more accurately hit key Russian targets on the battlefield.
This aid package is the 11th one sent by the United States since the war began and is part of the 40 billion dollar aid package that Washington recently promised. In a long op-ed he wrote, and was published in the New York Times, President Biden said:
“I am announcing a significant new security assistance package to provide timely and critical aid to the Ukrainian military. Thanks to the additional funding for Ukraine, passed with overwhelmingly bipartisan support in the U.S. Congress, the United States will be able to keep providing Ukraine with more of the weapons that they are using so effectively to repel Russian attacks.
“This new package will arm them with new capabilities and advanced weaponry, including HIMARS with battlefield munitions, to defend their territory from Russian advances,” the president added. “We will continue to lead the world in providing historic assistance to support Ukraine’s fight for freedom.”
Contents For The Aid Package:
The aid that the United States is sending to Ukraine to fight the invasion consists of the following:
- Four High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, known as HIMARS, and ammunition
- Five counter-artillery radars;
- Two air surveillance radars;
- 1,000 Javelins and 50 Command Launch Units;
- 6,000 antiarmor weapons;
- 15,000 rounds of 155mm artillery for the M777 howitzers;
- Four Mi-17 helicopters;
- 15 tactical vehicles;
- Spare parts and equipment.
The HIMARS is a weapon that the Ukrainians have been asking for, and will now finally receive. The M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) is a high-tech, lightweight rocket launcher that is mounted on a 5-ton truck chassis, giving it more Shoot and Scoot agility on the battlefield.
Each HIMARS vehicle can carry six GPS-guided rockets, which can be reloaded in about a minute with only a small crew, and has a range of 45 miles. It is much more reliable and accurate than the GRAD-21s that the Ukrainians currently use.
Russian Reaction, the U.S. Adding “Fuel to the Fire”
The Russian government has reacted quickly to this latest military aid that Washington is sending to Ukraine. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Ukraine’s request for advanced rocket launchers goes beyond “all limits and decency” and is a “direct provocation.”
Lavrov went on to say, “Such risks (of escalating the war), of course, exist, what the Kyiv regime demands so categorically, in a business-like way, I would say, from its Western patrons, firstly, goes beyond all the limits of decency and diplomatic communication, and secondly, this is a direct provocation aimed at drawing the West into hostilities. Of course, sane Western politicians understand these risks. Not all,” he added.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the U.S. was “intentionally adding fuel to the fire” with the deliveries of the HIMARS.
“Such supplies do not contribute to the Ukrainian leadership’s willingness to resume peace negotiations,” he added.
Peskov said that he didn’t believe President Zelensky’s comments that Ukraine doesn’t intend on hitting targets in Russia. The RIA news agency quoted Peskov when he said, “In order to have trust, we need to have experience of Kyiv fulfilling its promises, but there is none.” It should be noted that Russia has sent cruise missiles into the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv as well as in the far western city of Lviv.
Steve Balestrieri is a 1945 National Security Columnist. He has served as a US Army Special Forces NCO and Warrant Officer before injuries forced his early separation. In addition to writing for 19fortyfive.com and other military news organizations, he has covered the NFL for PatsFans.com for over 10 years. His work was regularly featured in the Millbury-Sutton Chronicle and Grafton News newspapers in Massachusetts.
