Ukraine promises not to hit Russia with U.S. long-range rocket systems -Blinken

Ukraine has promised the United States it will not use U.S.-provided advanced rocket systems to hit targets inside Russian territory, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday. President Joe Biden has agreed to provide Ukraine with rocket systems that can strike with precision at long-range Russian targets as part of a $700 million weapons package expected to be unveiled later in the day.

Ukraine has promised the United States it will not use U.S.-provided advanced rocket systems to hit targets inside Russian territory, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday.

President Joe Biden has agreed to provide Ukraine with rocket systems that can strike with precision at long-range Russian targets as part of a $700 million weapons package expected to be unveiled later in the day. "The Ukrainians have given us assurances that they will not use these systems against targets on Russian territory," Blinken said at an appearance with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg. "There is a strong trust bond between Ukraine and the United States, as well as with our allies and partners."

Jonathan Finer, deputy White House national security adviser, said earlier that Washington believed the system will meet Kyiv's needs. "This is a defensive conflict that the Ukrainians are waging. Russian forces are on their territory," Finer said in an interview with CNN.

There are significant targets Ukrainians cannot reach with the weapons they currently have, Finer said, and the rocket system will make a big difference in the conflict in the southeastern part of the country, where Russian forces are currently focused. The United States will provide Ukraine with the M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), a senior Biden administration official said on Tuesday, upgrading Kyiv's battleground capabilities as it battles Russian invaders.

The package also includes ammunition, counter fire radars, a number of air surveillance radars, additional Javelin anti-tank missiles, as well as anti-armor weapons, officials said. Ukrainian officials have been asking allies for longer-range missile systems in the hopes of turning the tide in the war, which is in its fourth month.

Russia said the United States was adding fuel to the fire by supplying Ukraine with advanced rockets. Finer said Biden had warned Russian President Vladimir Putin directly, and publicly, what the consequences of any Ukraine invasion would be. "We are doing exactly what we said we would do," Finer said. "Russia has brought this on itself by launching an invasion into a sovereign country from its territory."

Thousands of people have been killed in Ukraine and millions more displaced since the Russian invasion on Feb. 24. As the United States and its allies provide Ukraine with increasingly sophisticated arms, Washington has held discussions with Kyiv about the danger of escalation if it strikes deep inside Russia, U.S. and diplomatic officials have told Reuters.

U.S. intelligence has also warned about growing risks. Biden on Tuesday told reporters that "we're not going to send to Ukraine rocket systems that strike into Russia".