The US has an effective veto on Russian targets hit by HIMARS artillery, a Ukrainian general has suggested. Major General Vadym Skibitsky, Ukraine’s deputy chief of military intelligence, described the target selection process in an interview with Britain’s Daily Telegraph newspaper. The Telegraph, paraphrasing Skimicki’s comments, said he suggested there were discussions before a launch “that would allow Washington to stop any potential attacks if it was not satisfied with the intended target”. He did not go into further detail. Asked for comment, Pentagon spokesman Robert L. Ditchey II gave a general statement, without confirming or denying the veto claim. “We are providing Ukrainians with detailed, time-sensitive information to help them understand the threats they face and defend their country against Russian aggression,” he said. The US has delivered a total of 16 HIMARS units, with the last four arriving on Monday. During the early months of the war, the US resisted giving any HIMARS to Ukraine, fearing that adding longer-range weapons to Ukraine’s arsenal could be seen as escalation. The original donation, which came after fierce Ukrainian lobbying, was on the condition that Ukraine only use them to hit targets in Ukraine and not anything over the border with Russia. Mobile artillery units have been hailed as a game changer in warfare. The high-precision units can fire about 50 miles, depending on the ammunition used, with Ukraine saying they used them to kill a Russian general, knock out a critical bridge and destroy 50 ammunition depots. A Wall Street Journal review of Ukraine’s use of U.S. intelligence in May described the relationship broadly as the U.S. handing over information and letting Ukraine decide what to strike and when. Skibitsky’s proposal, made months later, was a more thorough exchange. Skibitsky said the US did not provide direct targeting information – an act that could undermine the US position that it is not involved in the war. But Skimitsky’s comments drew an angry reaction from Russia, Reuters reported on Wednesday, with a spokesman for its foreign ministry describing his words as “confirmation of the United States’ direct involvement in hostilities.”
