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The US is one of the largest arms and funding providers for Ukraine in its war with Russia. As Kyiv asks for longer-range weapons, President Joe Biden said Washington would not send over rocket systems that could reach Russia.
Biden said Monday that the US would not send Ukraine rocket systems that can reach Russia amidst appeals by Ukraine for the West to send over longer-range weapons to launch counterstrikes on Russia.
While the US leader did not rule out the possibility of providing Ukraine with any specific weapons system, Biden appears to be placing conditions on how the weapons could be used.
To note, the Biden administration is already working on a new package of military equipment, which is expected to be announced in the coming days. A Biden administration official said the Multiple Launch Rocket System or MLRS was being considered, but nothing that has long-range strike capabilities outside battlefield use.
This follows reports by CNN and the Washington Post Friday last week that the Biden administration was likely considering sending the MLRS and another system called the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System as part of the upcoming military aid Washington intends to send to Ukraine.
The US and its allies have increasingly provided Ukraine with heavier weapons since the invasion back in February, including M777 Howitzers, as Kyiv has effectively resisted Russian offensives, contrary to what analysts have initially predicted.
Ukraine recently received Harpoon anti-ship missiles from Denmark as well as howitzer systems from the US, according to an announcement by Ukrainian defense minister Oleksiy Reznikov over the weekend.
In other related news, Biden is tackling the recent mass shootings in the country that have renewed calls for gun reforms and control. Biden touched on new gun control options Monday, which include a possible ban on assault weapons.
Biden said that when the Second Amendment of the Constitution – an argument many who are pro-gun often use for having firearms – was passed, it “was never absolute.”
“You couldn’t buy a cannon when the Second Amendment was passed. You couldn’t go out and purchase a lot of weaponry,” said Biden upon returning to Washington after visiting Uvalde, Texas, where the latest mass shooting took place.
“It makes no sense to be able to purchase something that can fire up to 300 rounds,” said the US leader. “The idea of these high-caliber weapons – there’s simply no rational basis for it in terms of, about self-protection, hunting – and, remember, the Constitution, the Second Amendment was never absolute.”
