On Wednesday, President Joe Biden presented a new $ 1 billion arms package to Ukraine. These include 18 howitzers, as many vehicles that can tow the weapon systems, and 36,000 artillery shells. In addition, Ukraine will receive more ammunition for its Himars rocket systems, two Harpoon naval missile systems, thousands of encrypted radio systems and thousands of night vision and other optical equipment. according to the US Department of Defense.
The United States also provides $ 225 million in humanitarian aid, money for drinking water, medical equipment, medical care, food and shelter, and other necessities. Reuters.
In connection with Wednesday’s NATO summit in Brussels, US General Mark Milley said that the United States will send long-range missiles of the Himars type at the end of June. Ukraine will also receive ammunition and training on the weapons system, which can reach targets at a distance of 70 kilometers, states BBC.
Lieutenant Colonel Joakim Paasikivi, teacher in military strategy at the Swedish National Defense College, says that the US new weapons package does not offer any surprises. These are weapons, ammunition and equipment that Ukraine has already received.
– It is essentially more of the same thing. Ukraine will get another artillery battalion with towing vehicles and logistics of the same type as they received before. But it is much needed, especially the artillery and artillery ammunition. The Harpoon systems are also a welcome addition to the Harpoon systems that Denmark has promised, he says.
The United States has previously said it does not want to give Ukraine ground robots with a range of 300-500 kilometers that can be fired from the Himar systems. The purpose is said to be to prevent the war from escalating, says Joakim Paasikivi who believes that the Himar delivery is interesting from two points of view. One is how many systems are involved.
– There was initially talk of three, and if so, it will make little difference. If there are more, it could be a very important addition to the Ukrainian army, he says.
The second is the range. It is wrong to call rockets that can reach targets at a distance of 70 kilometers too long-range, he says.
– But it is done in any case. Mostly for political reasons, I think. The Russian BM-30 rocket artillery systems can fire up to 90 kilometers, but towards surface targets. The most important difference is that the American rockets are fired with precision towards point targets, which is why artillery radars and UAVs are also included in deliveries to Ukraine, he says, referring to unmanned drones.
His colleague Ilmari Käihkö, Associate professor and senior lecturer in military science at the Swedish National Defense College, believes that the most advanced robots have a range of 300 kilometers. Therefore, it seems that Ukraine is not even now getting the long-awaited long-range missiles that they have requested.
– But even with 70 kilometers, you can knock out Russian artillery beyond their reach and that makes a difference, he says.
The other day, Ukrainian Presidential Adviser Mykhailo Podolyak posted via Twitter a comprehensive “wish list” of weapons needed to end the war.
https://twitter.com/Podolyak_M/status/1536245024354144257?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1536245024354144257%7Ctwgr%5E%5Ef7_f2_f2_f2_f2_2 advisor-reveals-weapons-ukraine-needs-win-war-russia-1715133
Some of what the United States now sends matches the list, but much is still missing. Ukraine both wants and needs much more weapons to stop Russia from advancing.
– The amount of weapons Ukraine wants is, to say the least, enormous. In comparison, the Swedish army still has around 120 tanks compared to the 500 Ukrainians want. The list says they need a lot of help. It will take a long time for them to get it.
The last week There has been something like an emergency call from Ukraine that the war is not going very well. The fighting in Donetsk has developed into a material war where Russia has taken over, as they have up to 10-15 times more artillery, says Ilmari Käihkö.
– What Ukraine is trying to signal now, by talking about its losses, is that they really need help.
Ilmari Käihkö interprets the latest arms package as the West having decided that Ukraine is in urgent need of help.
– It will of course help Ukraine to continue the war. It will give Ukraine more time, it seems to be something they need right now.
The other day announced
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