US to Send Most Advanced Weapons Systems to Ukraine to Date

The United States will officially announce the delivery to Ukraine of a new package with advanced missiles and ammunition, as part of Washington's sustained support to Kiev in the face of Russia's military operation.

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In an article published in The New York Times, U.S. President Joe Biden confirmed the delivery of the weapons, which would allow the Ukrainians to “fight on the battlefield and be in the strongest possible position at the negotiating table.”

A senior administration official told the New York media outlet that the new shipment will be the most advanced weapons system provided to the Ukrainians to date and will be delivered with a commitment not to be used against targets inside Russian territory.

A 700-million-dollar weapon package will be formally unveiled Wednesday, including High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), which are to enable Ukraine to fire more precisely at targets in its eastern part, other officials said.

The United States maintains a steady supply of military equipment to Ukrainian forces with a wide range of ordnance and the latest package will include Javelin anti-tank missiles, artillery shells, helicopters and tactical vehicles.

The head of the White House stated that his administration is not seeking a war between the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and Russia, even if he disagrees with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“We’re not providing any weapons that will allow the Ukrainians to attack Russia from inside of Ukraine, and President [Joe] Biden has been very clear on that,” U.S. representative to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said of the deliveries. “We’re not going to become [a] party to the war.”

"As long as the United States or our allies are not attacked, we will not participate directly in this conflict, either by sending U.S. troops or by attacking Russianforces", the U.S. president stated in The New York Times.

On Wednesday morning, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov responded to the announcement, saying that Washington’s arming of Ukraine with heavier weapons increases the risk of direct U.S.-Russia confrontation regardless of American statements about mitigating such a possibility.

The Biden administration has already sent about $5 billion worth of anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles, helicopters, and other military equipment to Ukraine.