Ukraine Gets HIMARS Boost From NATO Ally

Germany has committed to purchasing three new M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System—colloquially known as HIMARS—for Ukraine as Western nations seek to bolster Kyiv against a relentless Russian assault on the eastern front.

"In cooperation with the Americans, we will purchase three HIMARS launchers for Ukraine," German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius told reporters during a visit to Washington, D.C., on Thursday following a meeting with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. "They will come from the U.S. Armed Forces and will be paid for by us," the minister said.

American-made HIMARS proved pivotal when they first joined the fight in the summer of 2022. The systems can fire a salvo of six rockets hitting targets out to around 50 miles, putting Russian troop concentrations, command posts, and supply hubs within reach. The HIMARS became a symbol of Ukrainian military potency, and a prime target for Russian forces.

The U.S. has supplied at least 39 HIMARS to Ukraine since Russia's full-scale invasion began in February 2022. The U.K., Germany, Italy and France also donated 25 M270 Multiple Launch Rocket Systems, which are the tracked version of the HIMARS. The M270 is less mobile than the wheeled HIMARS but has twice the rocket-capacity.

Kyiv is pushing for any and all fresh military support as it seeks to hold off Russia's grinding offensive in the east of the country, and as it braces for an expected fresh summer offensive potentially targeting key objectives in the east and northeast.

Moscow's forces have been making small but significant territorial gains on the eastern front in recent months. The Donetsk towns of Marinka and Avdiivka both fell to Russian units earlier this year, with Ukrainian defending troops outgunned and hampered by a sudden slowdown in Western military aid.

The Kremlin has sought to exploit Ukraine's supply woes by pushing a costly offensive, its reported casualty figure soaring in exchange for tactical—but not yet strategic—battlefield success. Russian President Vladimir Putin hailed the troops fighting in Ukraine as "our heroes" in his Victory Day speech in Moscow on Thursday, adding that "all of Russia is with you."

Russia's offensive window may be closing, though, with the arrival of $61 billion in military aid from the U.S., long delayed by Republicans with the reported approval of former President Donald Trump. The package will replenish air defense and other munitions, which have been notably lacking this year.

The U.S. is also now supplying the longest-range version of the MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile System—ATACMS—which was long at the top of Kyiv's shopping list. Ukraine can now use the missile, which can be fired from HIMARS and M270 launchers, to hit Russian targets out to some 190 miles.

Speaking alongside European Parliament President Roberta Metsola in Kyiv on Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said: "As soon as the arms supplies arrive, we will stop their initiative," referring to the Russian advance.