New US weapons for Kyiv

Washington will provide highly sophisticated rocket launchers to the Ukrainian defense, on one important condition: the weapons must not be used to attack Russian territory, which Ukraine has assured.

Lea Carrier
The Press

The United States announced Wednesday the dispatch of HIMARS (High Mobility Artillery Rocket System), powerful multiple rocket launchers mounted on light armor, to help Ukraine repel the Russian offensive.

Worried about a military escalation, however, Washington requires a guarantee that these weapons will not be used to strike Russian territory, which Kyiv promises, reported the head of American diplomacy, Antony Blinken.

“The Ukrainians have given us assurances that they will not use these systems against targets on Russian territory,” he told reporters.

These advanced missile systems with a range of about 80 km will allow Ukraine to more accurately hit targets on the battlefield, but ‘will not give Ukraine the means to strike’ outside its borders , assured the spokesperson for the White House, who discourages Kyiv in this direction.

One thing is certain, “there is an intensification of the lethality of the weapons that we agree to provide to the Ukrainian defense”, notes Yann Breault, specialist in Russia attached to the Royal Military College of Saint-Jean. And these increasingly powerful weapons pose a difficult question to answer: “How far can we go? Up to what level of lethality can we go? »

Since the start of the war, Russia has brandished the nuclear threat in the event of a direct confrontation with the NATO countries, in particular the United States. Moscow was also quick to react to Washington’s promise by accusing it, on Wednesday, of “deliberately throwing oil on the fire”.

“Such deliveries do not encourage the Ukrainian leaders to want to relaunch the peace negotiations”, which have been stalled for weeks, said Russian diplomat Dmitry Peskov.

Weapons in the hands of criminals?

The further the war progresses, the more NATO increases its military aid. Even Germany, criticized by Kyiv for sending limited number of weapons, announced on Wednesday that it will provide a modern air defense system capable of “protecting a large city from raids”.

However, the large number of weapons supplied to Ukraine worries the international police, who fear that they will end up falling into the hands of criminals in Europe and beyond.

“The wide availability of weapons during the current conflict will lead to the proliferation of illicit weapons in the post-conflict phase,” said Interpol Secretary General Jürgen Stock. “Criminals are already, right now, focusing on that,” he warned.

An annexation as early as July, says Russia

In eastern Ukraine, the bombs are still raining down. Kyiv forces are currently losing up to 100 soldiers in combat and deploring up to 500 wounded a day, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky acknowledged on Wednesday.

“The situation is very difficult. We lose between 60 and 100 soldiers killed in action every day,” he said on an American television channel.

A Russian negotiator envisages an annexation of the Ukrainian territories conquered as early as July.

“I don’t want to predict […]but I believe that the liberated territories [le Donetsk et le Louhansk] will hold a referendum more or less at the same time,” Leonid Slutsky told the Russian press. “I expect that to happen in July,” he added.

Moreover, the Ukrainian forces seemed on Wednesday close to losing Sievierodonetsk, a strategic city in Donbass, to the advance of the Russian army.

Danes vote yes

The Danes overwhelmingly voted “yes” to join the defense policy of the European Union (EU). Invited to the polls on Wednesday, nearly 67% are in favor of their traditionally Eurosceptic country joining the EU’s security policy, according to an almost complete count.

“Tonight, Denmark sent an important signal. We show that when Putin invades a free country and threatens stability in Europe, we come together,” said Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen.

With Agence France-Presse, the Associated Press and The Guardian