Biden admin will provide Ukraine with longer-range rocket systems

President Joe Biden said Tuesday in a New York Times opinion piece that he would “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 announcement was part of a piece that explained the Biden administration’s goals in Ukraine: “[A] democratic, independent, sovereign and prosperous Ukraine with the means to deter and defend itself against further aggression.”

The White House National Security Council said Tuesday that the “more advanced rocket systems” were longer-range multiple-launch rocket systems. They are capable of reaching Russia, officials said, but are not intended to fire rockets into Russia or be used outside Ukraine.

A senior administration official said Ukraine has agreed not to use them to launch rockets into Russia.

The senior official said that the package would be for $700 million and that it would also include more systems and weapons that the U.S. has already provided Ukraine, including more Javelin missiles.