US mulls supplying advanced, long-range rocket systems suiting Kyiv's requirements: Report

As the brutal war in Eastern Europe continues to escalate, the United States is mulling supplying advanced, long-range rocket systems to Ukraine, which are currently the war-torn nation's top request. The Biden administration is considering providing the equipment to Ukraine as part of a bigger package of military and security aid that might be disclosed in the next week, CNN reported citing multiple officials. This comes days after the White House stated that the US is not in hurry to provide long-range multiple rocket launchers to Ukraine. 

In recent weeks, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other senior Ukrainian officials have urged the US and its allies to supply the Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS). Meanwhile, Ukraine claims that US-made advanced weapon systems can prove to be a gamechanger in their fight with Russia as they have the capacity of firing a barrage of rockets hundreds of kilometres. The High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), a lighter wheeled device capable of firing many of the same types of ammunition, is another system Ukraine has requested for. 

US claims to have sent over $3 billion in security aid to Ukraine

Meanwhile, Biden has claimed that the US has sent more than $3 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since Russia launched a full-fledged war on February 24. He stated that "the money is a direct investment in defending freedom and democracy itself." The US President also claimed that the Russian onslaught has resulted in massive human casualties as the world has seen appalling evidence of their atrocities and war crimes in the places they attempted to control.

Ukraine yet again accused Russia of committing 'genocide' in Donbass

According to Ukrainian officials, Russia has shifted its focus towards the eastern part of the country where "Kyiv's forces are outmanned and outgunned." Meanwhile, on May 26, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy yet again accused Russia of committing "genocide" in the Donbass region. "The current offensive of the occupiers in Donbass can make the region uninhabited. They want to burn Popasna, Bakhmut, Lyman, Lysychansk, and Severodonetsk to ashes same as Volnovakha and Mariupol," he stated during his usual nightly address. He also urged the world to provide missiles and air defence systems to Ukraine to combat Russian aggression. 

Image: AP