#Ukraine #demands #rampup #precision #missile #systems
Ukraine’s defense minister on Tuesday urged the West to drastically increase its supply of precision missile systems, calling them a “game changer” that could enable a counteroffensive against Russian invaders.
The United States has delivered eight units of the M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (Himars) artillery-missile system since mid-June, which can accurately hit targets within 80 kilometers (50 miles) with the ammunition provided, with four more planned.
“These systems allowed us to destroy about 30 command stations and ammunition dumps,” Ukraine’s Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov told the Atlantic Council.
“This significantly slowed the Russian advance and dramatically reduced the intensity of their artillery shelling. So it works. We are grateful to our partners,” he said during a virtual appearance at the Washington think tank.
But he said far more systems would be needed, comparing Ukraine’s border with Russia to the distance from Barcelona to Warsaw.
“The shield of Europe in Ukraine has the same distance – 2,500 kilometers of aggressive front line with the enemy. For an effective counter-offensive we would need at least 100 I think,” he said of the Himar systems.
“It could be a game changer on the battlefield in this case.”
He renewed the call for longer-range missiles – 100 to 150 kilometers (60 to 90 miles) – to cut off support for Russian units.
“We don’t need the meat grinder strategy,” he said.
President Joe Biden’s administration has refused to send longer-range munitions over concerns that Ukraine would attack targets on Russian territory and potentially escalate the war into a direct clash with the West.
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