What did the new Western rocket pledges mean for Ukraine?
An analysis of the rocket artillery commitments from Washington and London and the Russian strike on a Carpathian rail link, as they stood on 2 June 2022.
What did Ukraine's partners commit to in the days before 2 June 2022, and why did it matter? Within about 48 hours, two allies set out plans to supply longer-range rocket artillery, while Russian missiles hit a route used for incoming aid.
The pledges
On 31 May 2022, US President Joe Biden announced an 11th package of military assistance. It included more advanced rocket systems and ammunition, among them High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), intended to help Ukraine hit key targets more precisely. NATO said it did not expect Russia to respond with countermeasures to the decision.
On 1 June 2022, it was reported that Mr Biden had agreed to provide long-range rocket artillery after Ukraine reportedly gave assurances that it would not use the systems to strike Russian cities. The weapons formed part of a new $700 million package that also included ammunition, counter-fire radars, several air surveillance radars and additional Javelin anti-tank missiles.
The same day, British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said the United Kingdom had agreed to send more M270 multiple-launch rocket systems to Ukrainian forces and to train them to use the weapons.
The supply line
Also on 1 June 2022, Russian cruise missiles struck a railway station near the Beskydy tunnel in the Carpathians for the second time, wounding two people. Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to the interior minister, said the strike aimed to halt rail traffic and stop deliveries of fuel and weapons from Ukraine's allies.
What it showed
Taken together, the reports pointed to two linked developments: allies moving from general assistance towards specific rocket systems, with training attached in the British case, and Russia targeting the rail infrastructure through which such supplies could move. The reported assurances over Russian cities showed that the American decision came with conditions on how the weapons would be used.
