Ukraine expects more U.S. rockets, wider annexation

More weapons from America is good news but Russia’s plan to seize more Ukraine territory is bad news for Kyiv

KYIV, Ukraine (AFP) — The United States (US) on Wednesday promised to send more precision rocket systems to Kyiv, soon after Moscow signaled it was aiming to seize more Ukrainian territory beyond the eastern industrial region of Donbas.

Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin said Washington would send four more M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, which have notably boosted Kyiv’s capabilities on the battlefield in recent weeks by allowing Ukrainian forces to hit Russian targets from long distances.

“Ukraine needs the firepower and the ammunition to withstand this barrage and to strike back,” Austin told reporters, adding that the new shipment would bring the total of US Himars sent to Kyiv to 16.

In an emotional speech before the US Congress on Wednesday, Ukrainian First Lady Olena Zelenska described the suffering of millions of Ukrainian parents and children, and asked Washington for air-defense systems to fend off Russian missiles.

“Help us to stop this terror against Ukrainians,” Zelenska said.

Hours earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in an interview that Moscow’s military was no longer only focused on wresting control of the east Ukraine regions of Lugansk (LNR) and Donetsk (DNR), which have been partially controlled by pro-Moscow rebels for years.

Washington would send four more M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System.

“The geography is different now. It is not only about the DNR and LNR, but also the Kherson region, the Zaporizhzhia region and a number of other territories,” he explained to state media.