The latest military aid package for Ukraine will include four more high mobility artillery rocket systems HIMARS, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said at a meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group. Austin assessed that both HIMARS and, among others, Polish Krab self-propelled howitzers “make a difference” on the frontline.
Inaugurating a virtual meeting of defence ministers from dozens of countries, Austin announced that a new, sixteenth package of military aid to Ukraine would be announced this week, and would include four more HIMARS launchers, as well as ammunition for them and 155mm calibre howitzers. The new delivery will increase the number of launchers Ukraine has to 16.
The Pentagon chief conveyed that a related version of the system, the M270 MLRS, had already arrived in Ukraine from the UK, while three German pieces of an upgraded version of the system, the MARS II, would soon reach the battlefield. He also pointed to Poland’s shipment of Krab self-propelled howitzers, which are “already making a difference on the front line”.
Austin stressed that more than 30 countries had already sent weapons to Ukraine.
“Russia thinks it can wait out Ukraine, and it can wait out us. This is just the latest in a series of erroneous predictions by Russia. We are united in our support,” announced Austin.