Ukraine to get more HIMARS ammo from US as Russia fumes over Crimea attack
Additional American weapons to Kiev will include $150 million in munitions for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, capable of firing longer-range missiles, which Moscow warns could prompt retaliation and escalate conflict.
The US is set to announce it is sending an additional $150 million in munitions to Ukraine, as Russia accuses Kiev of using US-provided munitions to strike inside Russia or Russian-held territory, according to two US officials.
On Monday, Russia summoned the American ambassador to protest what it says was the use of US-made advanced missiles in a Ukrainian attack on Crimea on Sunday that reportedly killed four people and wounded more than 150.
The Pentagon said last week that Ukraine's military is also now allowed to use longer-range missiles provided by the US to strike targets inside Russia if it is acting in self-defence. Since the outset of the war, Washington had maintained a policy of not allowing Ukraine to use the weapons it provided to hit targets on Russian soil for fear of further escalating the conflict.
The continued flow of US arms, which will be drawn from existing stockpiles, is intended to help Ukrainian forces repel intensified Russian attacks.
Risk of escalating the conflict
The upcoming US arms shipment will include munitions for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, or HIMARS. That system is capable of firing the longer-range missiles from the Army Tactical Missile System, or ATACMS, which Russia has said would prompt retaliation and risk escalating the conflict.
One of the US officials said they could not verify whether this package included ATACMS munitions, but said the aid did not include cluster munitions.
The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity to provide details that had not yet been made public.
The package also includes anti-armour weapons, small arms and grenades, and the highly sought-after 155 mm and 105 mm artillery rounds, among other support.
On February 24, 2022, Russia initiated what it calls a "special operations" in Ukraine, marking the largest attack on a European country since World War II.
On May 10, 2024, Russia launched a renewed offensive in Kharkiv Oblast, capturing several villages.
By May 25, Ukraine had evacuated over 11,000 people from the region. Moscow cited creating a "buffer zone" for border security as its objective.
Recently, the White House noted the offensive had stalled. John Kirby, US national security spokesperson, attributed this shift partly to the arrival of US weapons.