US President Joe Biden’s decision to send missiles to Ukraine is to help Kyiv’s war effort against Russia. But the time it has taken the White House to agree to send the weapons means there is a real danger that they could arrive too late to make a significant difference on the battlefield.
For weeks Ukrainian leaders have been calling on the West to provide heavy weapons to enable them to hold off Russia’s huge military offensive in the Donbas region. In particular, they have been asking for American-made Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS), which have a top range of almost 300 kilometres – 10 times Ukraine’s current capabilities. The MLRS are meant to help Kyiv's forces target Russian artillery, which is playing a key role in Moscow's latest offensive.
Ukraine’s appeals to the Biden administration have been coming thick and fast ever since Moscow abandoned its original offensive to seize Kyiv in favour of concentrating its military strength in the country's eastern region.
Moscow has long harboured ambitions of controlling Donbas, given its sizeable Russian-speaking population. Doing so would also enable it to establish a land corridor to the Crimean Peninsula, to Ukraine's south, which Russia occupied and annexed in 2014. To achieve this aim, Russia has mounted a deadly artillery barrage against key cities in the Donbas, with the aim of forcing their submission through constant bombardment.
Workers unloading a Royal Canadian Air Force military transport plane to assist Ukraine at Lviv airport. AFP
A new member of the Territorial Defence Forces trains to operate an AT4 anti-tank launcher in Kyiv. Reuters
A plane loaded with military equipment for Ukrainian forces takes off from Albacete, Spain. EPA
A Ukrainian soldier holds a Next Generation Light Anti-tank Weapon used to destroy a Russian armoured personal carrier in Irpin, north of Kyiv. AFP
A Ukrainian serviceman with a Javelin missile system on the front line near Kyiv. Reuters
A soldier holds a Panzerfaust 3 anti-tank rocket launcher at the Munster military training area in Germany in 2016. Getty Images
A US Marine Corps staff sergeant aims a M72 Light Anti-tank Weapon. Photo: US National Archives
The Switchblade is a camera-equipped, remote-controlled flying bomb with a reputation for pinpoint delivery. AP Photo
A coalition forces member fires a Carl Gustav recoilless rifle system during weapons practice on a range in Helmand province, Afghanistan, in 2013. US Army Photo
A Starstreak surface-to-air missile system. PA
The surrender of the port city of Mariupol last month was accomplished only after Russian artillery had reduced large parts of this once thriving community to rubble. In order to prevent other territory, such as the strategically important city of Severodonetsk, from suffering a similar fate, Ukrainian commanders say they urgently need the MLRS to target Russian artillery positions and reduce their firepower.
But despite repeated requests, Mr Biden initially proved reluctant to sanction delivery of the missiles for fear of further escalating the conflict with the Kremlin. Washington expressed concern that Ukraine might use the missiles, which have a longer range than the Moscow's versions, to target positions inside Russia.
This week, Mr Biden appeared to have ruled out sending the missiles. Mr Biden sought to quash media speculation that the US was leaning towards sending the MLRS to Kyiv. “We are not going to send Ukraine rocket systems that strike into Russia,” he said. White House officials emphasised their policy of sustaining the flow of arms to Ukraine without provoking retaliation from Moscow against US forces or allies in the region.
The next day, however, Mr Biden appeared to have changed his mind when he announced that Washington would, after all, be providing Ukraine with sophisticated rocket systems, albeit ones with a more limited range. These weapons, capable of hitting targets 80km away, will be delivered now that Washington has received “assurances” from Kyiv that its forces will not target Russian territory.
Explaining his decision in a New York Times opinion piece, Mr Biden stressed his belief that the conflict would ultimately end through diplomatic means, but that the US must provide significant weapons and ammunition to give the Ukrainian government the highest leverage at the negotiating table. "That’s why I’ve decided that we will provide the Ukrainians with more advanced rocket systems and munitions that will enable them to more precisely strike key targets on the battlefield in Ukraine," he wrote.
Sophisticated weapons from abroad have helped Ukrainian forces stall Russian advances. AFP
Following Washington’s decision this week, Britain announced that it will also supply Ukraine with long-range missile systems. In a statement issued by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, officials said the British missiles, the medium-range M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System – commonly referred to as Himars – would allow Ukraine to hit targets around 80km away, and would provide a “significant boost in capability for the Ukrainian forces".
Ukrainian troops will be trained in the UK on how to use the launchers, and the supply of the weapons will be “co-ordinated closely” with Washington.
While Ukrainian commanders will be relieved by this development, there will also be concerns that delays in the decision-making could help Moscow. British intelligence reports, as well as other other reports from the front line, claim that Russian forces are in control of most of Severodonetsk, even though it has reportedly lost about half of its combat firepower since the conflict began 100 days ago on Friday.
The fact that the Russians, relying heavily on their superior artillery firepower, are still able to maintain their advance should alert western leaders to the fact that, when it comes to making difficult decisions about supplying Kyiv with arms, time is not a luxury they can afford.
At last month’s World Economic Forum in Davos, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said: “Every day of someone sitting in Washington, Berlin, Paris and other capitals, and considering whether they should or should not do something, costs us lives and territories.”
Moment of the day When Dilruwan Perera dismissed Yasir Shah to end Pakistan’s limp resistance, the Sri Lankans charged around the field with the fevered delirium of a side not used to winning. Trouble was, they had not. The delivery was deemed a no ball. Sri Lanka had a nervy wait, but it was merely a stay of execution for the beleaguered hosts.
Stat of the day – 5 Pakistan have lost all 10 wickets on the fifth day of a Test five times since the start of 2016. It is an alarming departure for a side who had apparently erased regular collapses from their resume. “The only thing I can say, it’s not a mitigating excuse at all, but that’s a young batting line up, obviously trying to find their way,” said Mickey Arthur, Pakistan’s coach.
The verdict Test matches in the UAE are known for speeding up on the last two days, but this was extreme. The first two innings of this Test took 11 sessions to complete. The remaining two were done in less than four. The nature of Pakistan’s capitulation at the end showed just how difficult the transition is going to be in the post Misbah-ul-Haq era.
Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad.
Atletico Madrid 3
Greizmann (21', 49'), Gabi (89')
Email sent to Uber team from chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi
From: Dara
To: Team@
Date: March 25, 2019 at 11:45pm PT
Subj: Accelerating in the Middle East
Five years ago, Uber launched in the Middle East. It was the start of an incredible journey, with millions of riders and drivers finding new ways to move and work in a dynamic region that’s become so important to Uber. Now Pakistan is one of our fastest-growing markets in the world, women are driving with Uber across Saudi Arabia, and we chose Cairo to launch our first Uber Bus product late last year.
Today we are taking the next step in this journey—well, it’s more like a leap, and a big one: in a few minutes, we’ll announce that we’ve agreed to acquire Careem. Importantly, we intend to operate Careem independently, under the leadership of co-founder and current CEO Mudassir Sheikha. I’ve gotten to know both co-founders, Mudassir and Magnus Olsson, and what they have built is truly extraordinary. They are first-class entrepreneurs who share our platform vision and, like us, have launched a wide range of products—from digital payments to food delivery—to serve consumers.
I expect many of you will ask how we arrived at this structure, meaning allowing Careem to maintain an independent brand and operate separately. After careful consideration, we decided that this framework has the advantage of letting us build new products and try new ideas across not one, but two, strong brands, with strong operators within each. Over time, by integrating parts of our networks, we can operate more efficiently, achieve even lower wait times, expand new products like high-capacity vehicles and payments, and quicken the already remarkable pace of innovation in the region.
This acquisition is subject to regulatory approval in various countries, which we don’t expect before Q1 2020. Until then, nothing changes. And since both companies will continue to largely operate separately after the acquisition, very little will change in either teams’ day-to-day operations post-close. Today’s news is a testament to the incredible business our team has worked so hard to build.
It’s a great day for the Middle East, for the region’s thriving tech sector, for Careem, and for Uber.
