Ukraine says it does not plan to use the advanced multiple rocket systems it is getting from the US to strike targets inside Russia.
Presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said his country was waging a defensive war – saying that countries which has supplied Ukraine with equipment “know where their weapons are used”.
This week, the US confirmed it was sending four advanced units to Ukraine. Known as HIMARS (High Mobility Artillery Rocket System), they will use precision-guided munitions to strike targets up to 72km away.
Training outside of Ukraine will take about three weeks, so will not be operational – in battle – for a while.
The longest range of HIMARS rockets can hit targets 288km away. But these won’t be sent to Ukraine amid concerns from Washington about missiles landing in Russian territory.
Kyiv will still get systems with roughly twice the range of the M777 howitzers the US has previously provided. Nearly all of those 108 units are now in Ukraine, along with much of the 200,000 rounds of ammunition.
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