Make Sure Not To Use US Rockets To Attack Russia, Adviser To President Zelensky: Our Partners Know Where Their Weapons Are Being Used

Illustration of US HIMARS. (Wikimedia Commons/Sgt Anthony Ortiz)

JAKARTA - Ukraine has again reassured the United States, as well as Russia, that they will not use Washington-given rockets to attack Moscow directly.

This was immediately said by Mykhailo Podolyak, Advisor to the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky. In an online post, he said he would not use the US multiple launch rocket system to attack facilities in Russia.

"Ukraine is waging a defensive war and has no plans to use MLRS to attack facilities in Russia," Mykhailo Podolyak said in a tweet on June 3.

"Our partners know where their weapons are being used," he said.

As previously reported, US President Joe Biden announced the latest military aid to Ukraine worth around IDR 10 trillion, saying his country will continue to help Kyiv defend itself.

The announced new weapons package, valued at US$700 million, includes a high-mobility artillery rocket system, which can accurately hit targets up to 80 km (50 miles) away.

"The United States will support our Ukrainian partners and continue to provide Ukraine with weapons and equipment to defend itself," President Biden said in a statement.

Earlier, President Biden announced plans to deliver the precision HIMARS rocket system to Ukraine, after receiving assurances from Kyiv that it would not use it to hit targets inside Russia. President Biden imposed the condition to try to avoid an escalation of the Ukraine war.

"Ukraine has given us assurances that they will not use this system to attack targets on Russian territory," Foreign Minister Antony Blinken said at a meeting with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg.

Meanwhile, Jonathan Finer, the White House's deputy national security adviser, said earlier that Washington believed the HIMARS system would meet Kyiv's needs.

“This is a defensive conflict being waged by Ukraine. Russian troops are on their territory," Finer said in an interview with CNN.

It is known that Ukraine has been looking for Multiple Rocket Launch Systems (MLRS) such as the M270 and M142 HIMARS, both made by US company Lockheed Martin, to provide more firepower at longer ranges to achieve a concentration of Russian troops and weapons stocks behind Russia.