US still considering range of effective weapon systems for Ukraine
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The United States is still deciding on what it wants to send to Ukraine, though it is assuring that it would provide Kiev with any weapons that it could use to attack Russia.
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Ukrainian servicemen sit atop a tank in Donbass (Reuters)
The United States is still considering a range of weapon systems for Ukraine it could use against the Russian forces in light of the war unfolding in the country, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said Tuesday.
"We continue to consider a range of systems that have the potential to be effective on the battlefield for our Ukrainian partners," Price told a briefing.
He also claimed that the United States would not provide Kiev with long-range rockets that could be used to launch attacks outside the country.
Price also said the United States would announce additional steps in the coming days to enhance Kiev's defense security needs.
"We must also continue to bolster Ukraine's ability to defend itself in the face of the Kremlin's brutality, and we will have more on all of that in the coming days," he stressed.
No attacks on Russia
The United States will not provide Ukraine with long-range weapons that would allow Kiev to launch attacks on Russia, US Ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield said.
"We're not providing any weapons that will allow the Ukrainians to attack Russia from inside of Ukraine."
The US announcements come after Russia called on the United States to use common sense when deciding on deliveries of long-range missiles to Ukraine.
Washington could include advanced long-range rocket weapon systems in a new US military package for Ukraine, CNN reported last week citing multiple US officials.
Ukraine has long been asking the United States to provide Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS) and the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), the report said.
Moscow sent a formal diplomatic note to the United States warning that Washington and Brussels' arms shipments were adding fuel to the fire of the war in Ukraine, stressing that this matter could bring upon "unpredictable consequences".
Russian ambassador to the United States noted that his country had repeatedly warned Washington via diplomatic channels that pouring more weaponry into Ukraine significantly increases the risks of escalation.
Since the start of the war, the United States has deployed more than 100,000 of its troops to NATO member states, and the European Union also chipped in, sending $500 million worth of arms and equipment to Kiev. The shipments are still going to Ukraine despite the repeated Russian warning that such influx to the conflict zone in Ukraine was adding fuel to the fire.
Bloomberg had warned in late April that US arms stocks would run out within a few months if the White House continues to send military aid to Ukraine. The military equipment packages include artillery systems and munitions, in addition to armored personnel carriers.
