Western rocket artillery pledges for Ukraine, early June 2022

What did Ukraine's partners agree to send as of 2 June 2022, and why did it matter? The reports from 31 May and 1 June gave a clear picture of a widening Western commitment to long-range rocket artillery.

Washington and London move together

On 31 May 2022, the US president, Joe Biden, announced an 11th package of military assistance. It included more advanced rocket systems and munitions, among them the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), which he said would help Ukraine strike key targets more precisely. NATO said it did not expect Russia to respond in kind to the decision.

On 1 June, as reported at the time, the US 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 were part of a new $700 million package that also covered ammunition, counter-fire radars, a number of air surveillance radars and additional Javelin anti-tank missiles.

The same day, the British defence minister, Ben Wallace, said the UK had agreed to send more M270 multiple launch rocket systems to Ukrainian forces and to train them to use the weapons. The two announcements, a day apart, showed the pledges moving in parallel.

Strikes on supply routes

Also on 1 June, Russian cruise missiles hit a railway station near the Beskyd 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 the delivery of fuel and weapons from Ukraine's allies.

Taken together, the reports showed two linked developments: allies preparing to supply more capable systems, with conditions and training attached, and Russian attacks on the rail infrastructure that carried foreign deliveries, according to the Ukrainian official. The reports gave no further detail on when the new systems would reach the front.