President Joe Biden says the United States, US, will send Ukraine more advanced rocket systems to help it defend itself.

Mr Biden said the lethal aid would strengthen Ukraine’s negotiating position against Russia and make a diplomatic solution more likely.

The US president said: “That is why I’ve decided that we will provide the Ukrainians with more advanced rocket systems and munitions that will enable them to more precisely strike key targets on the battlefield in Ukraine.”

The weapons, long requested by Ukraine, are to help it strike enemy forces more precisely from a longer distance.

Until now, the US had refused the request out of fear the weapons could be used against targets in Russia.

The Russian government said it viewed the latest US weapons package to Ukraine including the new systems “extremely negatively”.

Separately, the German government has promised to send an air defense system to Ukraine.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz told Members of Parliament that the IRIS-T system was the most modern Germany possessed and would enable Ukraine to defend an entire city against Russian air attacks.

He added that he would provide tracking radar capable of detecting enemy artillery, and multiple rocket launchers.

Analysts say the move is a fine balancing act for Mr Biden.

As providing more powerful weapons could provoke a reaction from Russia, risking direct conflict between the US and its Nato allies and Russia.

BBC/Maxwell Oyekunle

pub-5160901092443552

Related Posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *