JAKARTA - Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said his country needed more high-mobility artillery rocket systems (HIMARS) or M-142 HIMARS from the United States, which were considered effective against Russia and could even change the 'game'.
Slowing down the Russian offensive in the east, attention is now turning to Kherson in the south, where Ukrainian forces are preparing the 'ground' for a massive counter-offensive.
"The Kremlin does not control southern Ukraine, we will definitely liberate it," Reznikov said, as quoted by Newsweek on July 20.
"But we need to collect more weaponry," he continued.
So far, Ukraine has received eight HIMARS units which are very helpful, according to Reznikov. The US has committed to sending four more, with Pentagon spokesman John Kirby saying Tuesday that Kyiv would receive an unspecified number of additional systems.
"We use the HIMARS system precisely, like a surgeon's scalpel. We will not use the Russian 'meat grinder' strategy," said Reznikov.
He said Ukraine needed a minimum of 15 HIMARS to stabilize the current frontline. Meanwhile, to become a "game changer on the battlefield" and support a successful counterattack, it takes 100 HIMARS units.
On Wednesday, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin will add four HIMARS units in a new aid package to be announced this week. Later, Ukraine will have 16 HIMARS with crews also trained directly by Washington.
Ukraine has so far been supplied with only HIMARS munitions with a range of 50 miles. The US has withheld more advanced rockets with a range of between 90 and 180 miles, fearing further escalation by Russia.
"The long-range system will allow us to completely destroy their logistics, and quickly cut off the support of the Russian army," said Reznikov.
He added that after the recent dramatic attacks on Russian depots in the south and east, the occupying units moved their logistics and command centers further away from the front.
"I remain optimistic. To me, the word 'impossible' means 'maybe in the future,'" he said of the possibility the US would provide a wide range of ammunition, including long-range.
As previously reported, the head of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, Oleksiy Danilov, said his country might acquire long-range missiles for HIMARS.
"Regarding HIMARS, there is an understanding that we are already starting to receive munitions that can be launched further than they could at the beginning. And let's hope that what we need, from that range, will appear soon in our country," Danilov said, as citing Sputnik News from Strana.
This was conveyed by Danilov answering whether it was possible to expect delivery of ammunition with a range of up to 300 kilometers or 186 miles to Ukraine.
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As reported earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned the United States not to supply long-range missiles to Ukraine, or it would carry out attacks on new targets.
This is related to US President Joe Biden's decision to send HIMARS to Ukraine, after previously receiving assurances from Kyiv that the weapons would not be used to target Russia.
If long-range missiles are supplied, "we will strike targets that we have not hit," Putin told state television channel Rossiya-1 in an interview.
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