Biden’s Ukraine Rocket Whiplash – WSJ

Biden’s Ukraine Rocket Whiplash - WSJ #Bidens #Ukraine #Rocket #Whiplash #WSJ Welcome to TmZ Blog, here is the new story we have for you today: Ukrainian soldiers from an intelligence conduct a patrol and monitoring operation on the outskirt of the separatist region of Donetsk (Donbas), May 17. Photo: Daniel Ceng Shou-Yi/Zuma Press The White House on Wednesday announced $700 million more in weapons for Ukraine, and the good news is the U.S. will send some sophisticated firepower to help beat back the Russians in the country’s east. Russia is gaining ground in Ukraine as the war has become a brutal artillery fight. The Russian advance is slow and costly, including “devastating losses amongst mid and junior ranking officers,” the Institute for the Study of War noted this week. But the Russian military has an artillery advantage in range and firepower. President Biden said Monday the U.S. wouldn’t provide Ukraine with “rocket systems that strike into Russia,” suggesting the White House might not be willing to lend the equipment that could help the Ukrainians blunt the Russian advantage. The Ukrainians have been asking for such systems for months. The Administration now says it has assurances that the Ukrainians won’t use the rocket systems announced Wednesday to strike targets inside Russia. High mobility artillery rocket systems, known as Himars, are powerful weapons, both precise and mobile. The Pentagon says the U.S. will send four systems that are positioned in Europe, and that training the Ukrainians will take about three weeks. That’s an eternity in an artillery war, but better late than never. Officials said the U.S. will provide munitions that can reach roughly 40 miles. The Pentagon noted that’s about double the range of the Howitzers the U.S. has been sending, so it’s an improvement on the battlefield. Yet the Administration is still declining to offer longer-range options that can travel more than 180 miles. If the Ukrainians have promised to use the weapons only to defend their territory, why limit the reach of the rockets the U.S. provides? The rocket drama is a microcosm of the Administration’s strategic ambivalence about the war. Mr. Biden wrote this week that he won’t pressure Ukraine into accepting a settlement with Russia, but that will be the implicit result if the U.S. is too slow or reluctant to provide the weapons the Ukrainians need to prevail. For months the Biden Administration has come to the right conclusion on weapons and support, but late and only after prodding from Congress or the press. The way to bring Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table, and end the bloodshed, is to defeat him on the ground. Review & Outlook: By invading Ukraine, Vladimir Putin has unified the NATO alliance, which will be stronger with Finland and Sweden as members. Images: Sputnik/TT News Agency/Lehtikuva/Reuters Composite: Mark Kelly Copyright ©2022 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8 Appeared in the June 2, 2022, print edition. Click Here To Continue Reading from Source