“We are not going to supply Ukraine with missile systems that can hit targets in Russia.” As far as US President Biden is concerned, this is the limit to arms supplies to Kiev. At least, that’s his limit after nearly a hundred days of war.
Biden spoke to reporters yesterday about Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS). These mobile offensive missile launchers can fire a wide range of projectiles, with a range of up to 300 kilometers. But Washington will not send the missiles with such a long range to Kiev.
‘Rational’
The Russian Security Council calls this a rational decision. The Kremlin has consistently stated that it cannot tolerate such arms supplies from the West. There are also concerns among NATO member states that sending missiles with which Ukraine could target distant Russian cities would be a step too far.
Biden may therefore be able to send MLRS, but only with missiles with a shorter range. A senior official confirmed to The Washington Post that this option is still on the table.
Symbolic
The case shows that the trade-off whether or not to send weapons is a complicated balancing act. “It is a convergence of interests, concerns and a mixture of domestic and foreign politics,” says Frans Osinga, professor by special appointment of War Studies. “The decision does symbolize what the West is currently prepared for.”
Take the arms supplies from the Netherlands as an example. They started with shard vests and helmets, and the last package contained 55-ton armored howitzers. With the mobile artillery that the Ukrainian army has received from the West, it can already shell nearby Russian cities.
Border is liquid
“Putin has long established the framework that NATO is indirectly participating in this war,” Osinga continues. According to him, the limit to how far the West can go with the supply of equipment is ultimately liquid.
Depending on how the battle develops, and public opinion in the US, Biden may still decide to send heavier weapons. Osinga: “Perhaps Biden is holding the MLRS installation in reserve for an extreme situation where he can say: now its use is legitimate.”
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