Ukrainian soldiers on the front lines of the war with Russia were jubilant when HIMARS, the U.S. Army’s coveted multiple rocket launcher, arrived on the battlefield in July 2022.
Not only was the launcher considered light-years ahead of the mostly Soviet-era equipment that the Ukrainians had at their disposal. But perhaps even more important, delivery of the sophisticated American weaponry offered ironclad evidence that the United States would, in President Joe Biden’s words, stand with Ukraine “as long as it takes” to repel the Russian aggression.
As recently as last week, a HIMARS rocket attack obliterated a group of elite Russian drone pilots operating in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk province.
Why We Wrote This
America’s robust support for Ukraine has resonated across Europe and beyond. Yet as Congress holds up new aid, and Ukraine’s supplies dwindle, comes a question: Has the U.S. support shifted from “as long as it takes” to “as long as we could”?
But these days, the HIMARS is also becoming a symbol of something else.
Amid stalled U.S. assistance, and a trickling supply of arms and ammunition, the launchers are reminders of how the U.S. and some Western partners are tiring of a war Russian President Vladimir Putin launched two years ago next month.
As Congress sits on a $60 billion Ukraine aid package that Mr. » …Read More rnrn