Americans have mixed feelings about this.
Reports that the U.S. will be sending Ukraine long-range rocket systems have been quashed by President Joe Biden.
On Monday (May 30), when questioned whether the U.S. had plans to send rocket systems to Ukraine — a request Ukraine has made on several occasions to step up their defense against Russia — Biden denied there were any such plans.
Several outlets, including The Washington Post, announced the administration’s mulling over sending Multiple Launch Rocket Systems but had concerns that Ukraine would use the MLRS to fire into Russian territory, escalating the conflict.
According to reports by the Washington Post, officials are considering mitigating the risk of escalation by withholding the longest-range rockets available.
This may not be enough for Russia, with Russia’s ambassador to the U.S. warning that sending long-range rocket systems is “unacceptable” and warned Washington not to “take such a provocative step.”
Rebekah Koffler, a former DIA intelligence officer and the author of “Putin’s Playbook” also confirmed that sending long-range rocket systems would be viewed as escalatory by Moscow.
“Whether we believe we are climbing the escalatory ladder or not, it’s irrelevant,” Koffler noted, stating, “it’s how the Russians perceive it because they are acting on it.”
