Explainer: Why does Washington reinforce heavy weapons for Ukraine?

WASHINGTON (AFP) – After eight weeks of war, the Biden administration’s decision to step up delivery of artillery guns To Ukraine indicates a deep American commitment at a pivotal stage in the fight for the country’s industrial heart.

It also sharply softens Moscow’s warning that continued US military assistance to Ukraine would have “unpredictable” consequences, suggesting that Russia sees the international wave of arms as a growing obstacle to its invasion as well as a Western provocation.

“We are in a critical window” of time now, President Joe Biden said Thursday in his announcement that he has approved an additional $800 million in battlefield aid that includes 72 155mm howitzers for the U.S. Army, along with 144,000 artillery rounds and more than 120 gunmen. Drones that will require training for Ukrainian operators.

This brings the volume of security assistance provided since Russia began its invasion on February 24 on February 24 to $3.4 billion. This is an extraordinary total of US military assistance to a country to which the United States has no defense treaty obligation.

A look at US aid and US expectations for what it will achieve:

Why is artillery so important now?

Heavy weapons such as artillery are shaped as a major feature of the battle taking place in the eastern region of Ukraine known as Donbass. The relatively flat terrain is suitable for what the military calls maneuver warfare – the movement of tanks and other ground forces supported by long-range guns such as 155mm howitzers.

The Russians have deployed additional artillery of their own to the Donbass region in recent days, along with more ground troops and other materials to support and sustain what could be a long battle for terrain in Ukraine’s industrial heartland.

The howitzers the United States is sending to Ukraine will be the latest American model, known as the M777, to be used by the Army and Marines. Smaller and more maneuverable than the old model, the M777 can be deployed on the battlefield by heavy lift helicopters and moved relatively quickly between locations by seven-ton trucks that are also provided by the Pentagon.

“What makes it important is the kind of fighting we expect in the Donbass. Because of the terrain, because it’s open, because it’s flat, because it’s not urban, we can expect the Russians to rely on long-range fires — artillery in particular,” said John Kirby, Pentagon press secretary. “So we know this is going to be part of the Russians playbook.”

A senior US defense official said the first of 72 howitzers were expected to begin moving to Europe by the end of this week. Of the 18 other 155mm howitzers that Biden approved last week for shipment to Ukraine, an unspecified number already exists in Europe, and training of American howitzers for Ukrainian personnel began Wednesday in an undisclosed country outside Ukraine.

Will this be enough to stop the Russian offensive?

Probably not, and Biden said he has already asked the Pentagon to work on possible additional military assistance.

Biden said this phase of the Russian invasion would be “more limited in terms of geography but not in terms of brutality.” He also acknowledged that he needs Congressional approval of the funds needed to continue providing key weapons to Ukraine beyond the recent $800 million package, which he said will ensure a steady flow of arms for only the next few weeks.

US officials say the Russians are trying to adjust their approach in Ukraine after early setbacks, suggesting the battle could be a long one.

After failing to capture Kyiv, the capital, in the first weeks of its multi-pronged invasion, Russia has since narrowed its aims by focusing on Donbass, where Moscow-backed separatists have been fighting since 2014, and a stretch of coastal territory along the border. Sea of ​​Azov from Mariupol to Crimea. One of the Russian advantages is the proximity of this area to Russian territory, which allows for shorter supply lines than in previous battles in northern Ukraine.

What else does the United States offer?

In addition to the 72 howitzers and the vehicles required to move them around the battlefield, Ukraine’s new weapons package includes artillery rounds and armed drones from the USAF’s inventory. A slew of materials are still being prepared from a separate $800 million weapons package announced just last week, including radars used to enable targeting of Russian artillery, as well as air surveillance radars and coastal drone ships.

“Artillery and drones are the exact things Ukraine will need as Russia heads into its next campaign in the east and south,” said Mark Montgomery, a retired Rear Admiral who formerly served with the US European Command to help improve military relations between the United States and Ukraine. Montgomery is now an analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

The drone included in the latest package is called the Phoenix Ghost, made by an American company, Avex Aerospace, which sees itself as a leader in “full-spectrum airborne intelligence solutions.” Kirby, a Pentagon spokesman, declined to describe the drone’s capabilities except to say it is used “largely but not exclusively to attack targets.” It also has cameras on board.

Kirby said the drones are particularly well suited to the terrain Ukrainians are fighting in in the Donbass.