US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin looks on as the remains of Hershel Woodrow “Woody” Williams, the last Medal of Honor recipient of World War II, are honored in the rotunda of the US Capitol in Washington, DC, July 14 lie. 2022. Tom Williams/Pool via R
w
R
WASHINGTON, July 20 (R) – The United States will send four more highly mobile artillery rocket systems (HIMARS) to Ukraine, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said on Wednesday in the latest military package to bolster Kyiv as it suffers heavy blows Russia is facing forces.
Russia’s Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu earlier this week ordered generals to prioritize destroying Ukraine’s long-range missiles and artillery pieces after Western-supplied weapons were used to attack Russian supply lines.
Almost five months since President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion, Russian forces are slogging through the Donbass region of eastern Ukraine, occupying around a fifth of the country.
w
R
“(We) will continue to innovate ways to maintain our long-term support for the brave men and women of Ukraine’s Armed Forces, and we will tailor our assistance to ensure Ukraine has the technology, the ammunition, and the sheer firepower.” has to defend itself,” Austin said at the start of a virtual meeting with allies on Ukraine.
The West has supplied Ukraine with longer-range heavy artillery and multi-launch missile systems to help Kyiv hold its own in numbers and ammunition despite Russian artillery superiority.
Ukraine says it has successfully carried out attacks on 30 Russian logistics and munitions centers, using several multi-launch missile systems recently supplied by the West.
HIMARS have a longer range and are more accurate than the Soviet-era artillery that Ukraine had in its arsenal.
Austin said the new package would also include rounds for multiple-launch missile systems and artillery ammunition.
The latest package would bring the total number of HIMARS the United States has made available to Ukraine to 16.
The United States has provided $8 billion in security assistance since the war began, including $2.2 billion last month.
w
R
Reporting by Idrees Ali; Edited by Andrew Heavens and Andrew Cawthorne
Our standards: The Thomson R Trust Principles.