US to send Ukraine more military equipment
WASHINGTON — The U.S. will send another $400 million in military equipment to Ukraine, including four more advanced rocket systems, a senior defense official said Friday, in an effort to bolster Ukrainian efforts to strike deeper behind Russian frontlines in the eastern Donbas region.
The defense official said that the eight High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, or HIMARS, that were previously sent are still being used by Ukraine forces in the fight. This will give them added firepower to help hit Russian command and control nodes, logistics capabilities and other systems that are further back behind the battlefront. A senior military official said at least 100 Ukrainian troops have been trained on the launchers. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details not yet made public.
Russia in recent days has fired dozens of missiles across Ukraine and pinned down Ukrainian forces with continuous long-range fire for sometimes hours at a time. The U.S. military official said that 10 to 15 Russian battalion tactical groups are in the Donbas region, but that Russia has sustained significant losses in the recent fighting and may have to pause to reorganize and reset equipment. There are between 800 to 1,000 troops in a battalion tactical group.
Meanwhile, top diplomats from the world’s richest and largest developing nations failed to find common ground Friday over Russia’s war in Ukraine. Meeting in Bali, the Group of 20 foreign ministers heard an emotional plea for unity and an end to the war from their Indonesian host.
Yet, consensus remained elusive amid deepening splits driven by China and Russia on one side and the United States and Europe on the other.