Biden authorizes HIMARS rocket systems for Ukraine first long-range precision weapons in the war

President Biden announces the U.S. will send HIMARS (High Mobility Artillery Rocket System) to Ukraine, a major escalation from small arms and anti-tank missiles. The HIMARS can strike targets up to 50 miles away with precision-guided rockets, compared to the 15-mile range of Ukraine's existing artillery. Biden conditions the transfer on a Ukrainian pledge not to fire HIMARS into Russian territory. Defense officials extract the commitment in writing. Ukraine immediately uses HIMARS to destroy Russian ammunition depots well behind the front line, dramatically disrupting Russian logistics and halting Russian offensives in Donbas.