(MILWAUKEE, Wisconsin) — A Wisconsin police officer, who killed three people in the line of duty over five years, will not be charged in a fatal 2016 shooting of a 25-year-old man he found sleeping inside a car at a park, special prosecutors said Wednesday.
The special prosecutors, Milwaukee attorney Scott Hansen and La Crosse County District Attorney Tim Gruenke, announced their review of the incident did not find any legal basis for charging former Wauwatosa police officer Joseph Mensah in the shooting of Jay Anderson Jr.
Mensah, who is now a detective at the Waukesha, Wisconsin, County Sheriff’s Office, told investigators that after approaching Anderson’s parked car around 3 a.m. on June 23, 2016, he noticed a handgun lying on the front seat, according to a synopsis from the Milwaukee Police Department, which investigated the shooting. He claimed that Anderson initially complied with his orders to keep his hands up, but then lunged for the gun, prompting him to use deadly force.
Dash-camera video from Mensah’s squad car showed him shooting Anderson. The autopsy determined Anderson was shot five times in the head and once in the shoulder.
Hansen said Wednesday that a criminal case would have been hard to prove beyond reasonable doubt to a jury that Mensah did not act in self-defense when he shot Anderson.
“We believe the evidence will not permit that,” Hansen said.
The decision by the special prosecutors appears to align with a decision made by Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm in 2016 not to charge Mensah.
Chisholm previously cleared Mensah in the fatal 2020 shooting of a 17-year-old, who allegedly refused commands to drop a stolen gun, and the 2015 fatal shooting of a 29-year-old man, who allegedly refused orders to drop a sword.
Milwaukee County Judge Glenn Yamahiro appointed the special prosecutors to review the case last year after hearing evidence in a so-called John Doe hearing that an attorney for Anderson’s family sought. Yamahiro found probable cause to bring homicide charges against Mensah, concluding the evidence showed the officer did not act in self-defense and was negligent in the handling of a dangerous weapon when he shot Anderson.
But the judge declined to file charges and opted to have the case reviewed by special prosecutors he appointed.
Yamahiro denied a motion filed Wednesday by Kimberley Motley, the Anderson family’s lawyer, to appoint new special prosecutors to review the case again.
But Yamahiro said, “I continue to believe that this entire tragedy was avoidable.”
Following Wednesday’s hearing, Anderson’s mother, Linda Anderson, vowed to keep fighting for justice for her son.
“I’m not stopping until that man is behind bars, where he needs to be,” Linda Anderson said.
(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) — A first-in-the-nation task force in California created to examine slavery and its impact on the Black community released an almost 500-page report on the ongoing harms caused by slavery, political disenfranchisement, segregation and other racist and discriminatory practices.
The report tackles how the impact of systemic racism continues to impact Black Californians to this day.
“Government actions intertwined with private action and segregated America, leading to environmental harms, unequal educational and health outcomes, and over-policing of Black neighborhoods in California and across the nation,” the report states.
It adds, “Government actions and failures over 400 years have created a wealth gap that persists between Black and white Americans at all levels of income, regardless of education or family status.”
The task force, established through a law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2020, sought to offer recommendations for how to remedy that impact – including through monetary compensation, mental, emotional and other types of rehabilitation and other forms of restitution for Black Californians.
“Without accountability, there is no justice. For too long, our nation has ignored the harms that have been — and continue to be — inflicted on African Americans in California and across the country,” said California Attorney General Rob Bonta in a statement Wednesday.
He added, “California was not a passive actor in perpetuating these harms. We must double down on our efforts to address discrimination in our state and nation and take a hard look at our own history, including at the California Department of Justice.”
The report says federal, state and local government actions have been used to oppress Black people.
California entered the Union in 1850 as a free state. However, up to 1,500 enslaved African Americans lived in California by 1852, according to the report.
The early state government supported slavery and enforced a harsh fugitive slave law, it says.
The report shows that California did not ratify the Fourteenth Amendment and Fifteenth Amendment until 1959 and 1962, respectively.
The task force’s researchers found that state agencies were also responsible for demolishing Black neighborhoods in the name of urban renewal and park construction. They say these policies led to the closure of hundreds of businesses, displaced thousands of households and damaged the lives of nearly 20,000 people in San Francisco alone.
The report also says that several cities in the state wouldn’t hire Black workers until the 1940s, while certain public sectors continued to avoid hiring Black workers into the 1970s.
“Today, by some measures, California’s two major industries, Hollywood and Silicon Valley, disproportionately employ fewer African Americans,” the report says.
The report offers several ways in which Black people continue to be disadvantaged.
For example, California remains the sixth most segregated state in the country for Black students. Schools mostly attended by white and Asian children receive more funding and resources than those with predominantly Black and Latino children, according to the report.
In 2021, the life expectancy of an average Black Californian was 75.1 years, six years shorter than the state average. Nearly 40% of California’s homeless population is Black, though the Black population in the state is only 6%, the report states.
These are only a few examples of the ways that racial discrimination has continued to impact Black Californians – from their health to their financial stability, according to the report.
Reparations for these many forms of oppression can be delivered in different ways, it says.
In March, the task force said it would limit reparations to people who could trace their lineage to free and enslaved Black people living in the U.S. during the 19th century.
The decision quickly received criticism by opponents who say the pool of recipients should be widened, considering that enslaved people may not have kept quality records, or that names may have changed since the 19th century.
Dr. Amos C. Brown, the task force’s vice chair, said in a statement Wednesday it was “a privilege” to serve on a task force with “the moral obligation” to right the wrongs perpetuated against the African American community.
“Other groups that have suffered exclusion, oppression, and downright destruction of human existence have received reparations, and we should have no less,” Brown said.
The task force will now consider several different avenues of remedying the damaging effects of racism.
The report says this includes ending “legal slavery” by removing discriminatory language that still remains in California law, paying incarcerated people fairly, eliminating discrimination in policing and developing policies that eliminate the emotional, financial and medical toll that systemic racism has had on Black people.
The task force could weigh policies concerning education, the environment, cultural institutions, voting and more.
An upcoming final report will include the task force’s official recommendation, but a date has not been set for its release.
Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket via Getty Images, FILE
(WASHINGTON) — Ramping up the protection of land within the next decade could make a significant dent in biodiversity and climate change efforts that would get countries closer to their conservation goals, according to new research.
If countries succeed in protecting 30% of global land area by 2030, it could benefit about 1,000 vertebrate species whose habitats currently lack any form of protection, according to a study published Wednesday in Science Advances.
About half of the species that would benefit from expanding protected areas worldwide are classified as critically endangered, endangered, vulnerable or near-threatened, the scientists said.
What is being dubbed by scientists as the “30 by 30” target could also spare about 11 billion tons of carbon dioxide per year in avoided carbon emissions or carbon sequestration, the paper states.
Researchers from Princeton University and the National University of Singapore compared models that maximize different aspects of conservation. They considered only natural areas and excluding croplands and urban areas, and found that additional benefits could result for biodiversity conservation, climate change mitigation and nutrient-regulation if protected area coverage were increased to 30% of the terrestrial area within 238 countries worldwide.
Yiwen Zeng, an ecologist at Princeton University’s Center for Policy Research on Energy and the Environment and author of the study, described 2030 as the “midway point” to “50 by 50,” or the goal to protect half of the Earth by 2050.
“The general idea is that we can actually protect over 1,000 species, on average, if we commit to this,” he told ABC News. “It can mean a huge part of our climate reductions and sequestration needed to prevent climate change.”
In addition, expanding protections to land globally could “greatly” increase the land’s ability to regulate water quality and mitigate nutrient pollution, according to the study.
“Since only about 16% of global land area is currently protected, achieving this target will require most countries to rapidly expand their network of protected areas,” the study states.
The researchers used a model called “scenario analysis,” where they would compare protecting land that contained mostly rock and ice to protecting areas filled with trees and species.
What they found is that “if you can prioritize the maximum number of species, you could save a paradise,” Zeng said.
However, the researchers found the “30 by 30” goals may require including habitats owned and managed by indigenous communities, local governments or private entities, or mobilizing payments for ecosystem services, the research suggests.
More than 50 countries, including the U.S., China. Japan and Germany, have pledged to protect 30% of Earth’s land and oceans by 2030. The United Nations Biodiversity Conference, COP15, will take place in Kunming, China, on Oct. 1.
(NEW YORK) — Sheryl Sandberg, the COO of Meta, Facebook’s parent company, announced Wednesday she is stepping down from her position with the company. She had held the role since 2008.
“Sitting by Mark’s side for these 14 years has been the honor and privilege of a lifetime,” Sandberg wrote in a post on Facebook announcing the decision.
She and CEO Mark Zuckerberg will work to transition her responsibilities over the summer and officially hand off the role in the fall. She will continue to serve on the board of directors.
Javier Olivan, Meta’s vice president of central products, will take over the COO role.
Sandberg, a former Google executive who helped optimize that company’s ad business, joined Facebook when the social media platform still lacked a “like” button.
She led a dramatic increase in Facebook’s revenue by revamping its advertising business, turning the operation into an industry powerhouse that helped small and large businesses target users through data collected by the platform.
In 2007, the year before Sandberg arrived, the company’s revenue barely exceeded $150 million. Last year, the company brought in about $117 billion.
Meta has faced public scrutiny and legal challenges over its business operations.
In December 2020, the Federal Trade Commission sued Meta over allegedly sustaining a monopoly through anticompetitive practices. In January, a federal judge allowed the lawsuit to proceed past a procedural hurdle.
A separate lawsuit, filed by state attorneys general in December as well, accuses Facebook of colluding with Google to dominate the online advertising business.
Facebook has challenged the allegations in both lawsuits.
“The debate around social media has changed beyond recognition since those early days,” Sandberg wrote. “To say it hasn’t always been easy is an understatement. But it should be hard. The products we make have a huge impact, so we have the responsibility to build them in a way that protects privacy and keeps people safe.”
Sandberg is also the chair of the board of directors at the Sheryl Sandberg and Dave Goldberg Family Foundation, which she established in 2013. The organization focuses its work on empowering women in the workplace as well as helping individuals and communities build resilience.
In the announcement on Wednesday, Sandberg said she plans to devote more time to the foundation.
“I am not entirely sure what the future will bring – I have learned no one ever is,” she wrote. “But I know it will include focusing more on my foundation and philanthropic work, which is more important to me than ever given how critical this moment is for women.”
ABC News’ Mary Kathryn Burke contributed to this report.
(BUFFALO, N.Y.) — A grand jury in Erie County, New York, has returned an indictment against alleged Tops supermarket shooter Payton Gendron.
The specific charges contained in the indictment will not be made public until after arraignment, which is scheduled for 2 p.m. Thursday, however, a law enforcement source told ABC News it’s a 25-count indictment.
Gendron, 18, had previously been indicted on a first-degree murder charge that accused him of killing 10 Black people inside the supermarket on a Saturday afternoon. He pleaded not guilty to that charge and was held without bail.
In addition to the 10 deaths, three others were injured in the attack.
Gendron drove several hours from his home in Conklin, New York, specifically to target the predominantly Black community in what law enforcement has called a racially motivated attack.
The FBI is also conducting an investigation, which the Department of Justice said could lead to federal hate crime and terrorism charges.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
(NEW YORK) — When an 18-year-old shooter arrived last week at Robb Elementary School, in Uvalde, Texas — where he ultimately killed 21 people, including 19 children and two teachers — he carried 1,657 rounds of ammunition, authorities said.
The large number of rounds should not come as a surprise, experts told ABC News. The tragedy drew renewed scrutiny to a collection of state and national laws that regulate ammunition less tightly than firearms, despite the vital role played by ammunition in mass shootings, experts said.
A shooter at a Las Vegas music festival, in 2017, who killed 59, had at least 1,600 rounds. A shooter at an elementary school in Sandy Hook, Connecticut, in 2012, who killed 27, had more than 1,700 rounds of ammunition at his home. And a shooter at a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, also in 2012, who killed 12, had bought more than 6,000 rounds, officials said.
Current regulations often allow for the purchase of massive amounts of ammunition and high-capacity magazines without a background check or even a face-to-face interaction, experts added.
While gun control proponents say ammunition deserves stronger restrictions that would limit the frequency and severity of mass shootings, gun rights advocates argue that ammunition restrictions violate Second Amendment protections and unnecessarily duplicate the regulations in place for guns, experts said.
“There are fewer restrictions on ammunition sales than there are on firearm sales both at the federal level and in the vast majority of states,” Jacob Charles, executive director of the Center for Firearms Law at Duke University School of Law, told ABC News.
“Someone intent on a mass casualty event is going to have enough ammunition to be able to keep shooting until they’re stopped,” he said.
Federal law prohibits the sale of ammunition in a narrow set of circumstances, experts said.
People cannot purchase or possess ammunition if they’ve been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor domestic violence, committed to a mental institution, or if they belong to a handful of other categories deemed at-risk, experts said.
Also, under federal law individuals must be at least 18 to buy rifle or shotgun ammunition, and at least 21 to buy ammunition for any other guns. On top of that, in 1986, the U.S. enacted a law that bans armor-piercing bullets, which became notorious for the threat they posed to police officers.
Absent from national regulations are measures that require background checks for the buyers of ammunition or licenses for the sellers, which undermines enforcement of the few federal laws that are on the books, Tom Donohue, a law professor at Stanford University who specializes in gun legislation, told ABC News.
“Any restrictions on ammunition at the federal level are virtually feckless because you don’t have to go through a background check to purchase ammunition,” he said.
Federal law also lacks a measure that addresses high-capacity magazines, which enable shooters to fire a large number of bullets without stopping to reload. Such a law did exist once at the national level: The assault rifle ban enacted by Congress in 1994, which lapsed 10 years later, included a ban on high-capacity magazines.
A study published in 2019 by three researchers, including David Hemenway, director of the Harvard Injury Control Research Center, examined mass shootings over a nearly three-decade period and found that attacks involving high-capacity magazines had a 62% higher average death rate than those without them. The study also showed that high-fatality mass shootings occurred more than twice as often in states without bans on high-capacity magazines than in states with them.
In all, nine states have enacted bans on high-capacity magazines, including predominantly Democrat-controlled states like New York and Connecticut, according to the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence.
The landscape of high-capacity magazine bans reflects a general trend of state-level measures that strengthen ammunition laws in a small group of mostly blue states, while the remainder of states go no further than federal law, Charles said.
For instance, New York and California have instituted mandatory background checks for ammunition purchases at the time a sale takes place, Charles added.
Gun rights advocates staunchly oppose ammunition regulation, experts said. Gun proponents argue that there’s no need for additional regulation of ammunition once an individual has been deemed fit to own a gun.
“In theory, if I have given you a license and found you to be a law-abiding citizen, there’s no reason for me to care what kind of gun you buy or how much ammunition you buy or what else you do, as long as it’s legal,” Alexandra Filindra, a political science professor at the University of Illinois, Chicago who studies gun laws, told ABC News.
Similarly, gun rights advocates have argued that regulation of ammunition infringes on their Second Amendment protections in the same manner that gun regulations do, since ammunition is a necessary part for operating a gun, Filindra said.
“The theory goes that essentially you are implicitly regulating gun ownership by taking away people’s ammo,” she said.
A network of gun rights groups, most notably the National Rifle Association, has fought ammunition regulation by framing it as an attack on gun ownership, the experts said.
“The same group standing in the way of gun safety reform is standing in the way of ammunition reform,” said Ari Freilich, the state policy director at Giffords Law Center.
Some ammunition-related bills have been introduced in Congress. The Age 21 Act, put forward by Senator Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., would raise the minimum age for buying assault rifles and high-capacity magazines from 18 to 21. Meanwhile, a bill in the House would require a license for all ammunition sellers and mandate that all ammunition sales take place in person.
Experts said that meaningful reform of ammunition laws is unlikely in the short term, but some said that incidents like the mass shooting in Uvalde make action more likely in the long term.
“A lot of people have woken up to how senselessly, dangerously reckless our lack of protections currently are,” Freilich said.
(WASHINGTON) — Adm. Linda Fagan became the first woman to lead a branch of the U.S. military when she was sworn in as commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard at a sunny ceremony in Washington on Wednesday.
President Joe Biden, who nominated Fagan to the post in April, spoke at the change of command event at U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters, calling it “a new milestone in our history” and “a big deal.”
“There’s no one more qualified to lead the proud men and women of the Coast Guard, and she will also be the first woman to serve as Commandant of the Coast Guard, the first woman to lead any branch of the United States Armed Forces — and it’s about time,” Biden said at the ceremony, where Fagan relieved Adm. Karl Schultz, who is retiring.
Biden added, “Secretary of Defense, when he sent me the name, I said, ‘What in the hell took you so long?'”
Fagan is coming off serving as the Coast Guard’s vice commandant — the first female four-star admiral to serve as a branch’s second-in-command — and previously served as the commander of the Coast Guard Pacific Area from June 2018 to June 2021.
Now, Fagan will soon be the first woman to take a seat at the table of the U.S. Joint Chiefs — representing all branches of the military — and she comes equipped with nearly 40 years in the service, on par with the officers she will be joining.
“I’m immensely grateful to the many players that paved the way,” Fagan said following Biden. “Pioneers like Admiral Siler, Dorothy Stratten, Ida Lewis, Dorothy McShane, Elizabeth Friedman. I’m proud to be a part of this long history of service, dedication, and groundbreaking, and I’m committed to carrying these principles forward.”
Biden noted that Fagan had been a pioneer earlier in her career, too, serving as one of few women — or the only woman — in various stations throughout her time in the service, and calling Wednesday’s ceremony “a historic first, in that effort.”
“I want to thank you Admiral Fagan for taking the helm during this critical moment,” he added. “And for all that you’ve done throughout your career, it opened the doors of opportunities just a little bit wider to allowing those following behind you, a way through.”
Biden also emphasized that the U.S. needs to ensure that more women are in leadership positions at Fagan’s level.
“We need to ensure women have an opportunity to succeed and thrive throughout their professional careers and that means providing support and resources so women can compete fairly and fully for promotions and make sure women are not penalized in their career for having children,” Biden added. “It also means creating an environment where every member of the Armed Forces feels safe in the ranks, including from sexual assault and harassment, and where their contributions are respected.”
In 1985, Fagan was in just the sixth graduating class from the Coast Guard Academy that included women. She has since risen the ranks to serve on all seven continents — “from the snows of Ross Island, Antarctica to the heart of Africa, from Tokyo to Geneva,” according to the Coast Guard — and aboard the USCGC POLAR STAR, a 399ft heavy polar icebreaker. She is also the longest service in the marine safety field, which earned her the Coast Guard’s first-ever Gold Ancient Trident distinction.
During Fagan’s confirmation hearing before the Senate Commerce Committee, which has oversight of the Coast Guard, lawmakers on the panel including Chair Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., praised her qualifications and place as a trailblazer.
“We’re sending a strong message to women cadets and to people training at Cape May. And we are sending a strong message to young girls who dream of someday serving in the Coast Guard,” she said. “We are saying now that the leader of this organization that your service matters, your contribution to the Coast Guard and to the country matters. And yes, you too can be commandant someday.”
Notably, Fagan’s daughter, Aileen, is also a Coast Guard lieutenant and was present at Wednesday’s ceremony.
“Thank you, Mr. President, for calling her out,” Fagan said in her remarks, after Biden had thanked her family for being there. “She’s my personal aide. I lean on her pretty heavily.”
Born in Columbus, Ohio, Fagan also earned degrees from the University of Washington and the Industrial College of the Armed Forces.
Other prior assignments include Deputy Commandant for Operations, Policy, and Capability, Commander of the First Coast Guard District, and a joint assignment as Deputy Director of Operations for Headquarters and United States Northern Command.
The Senate approved Fagan’s nomination, along with five other senior Coast Guard officers, by unanimous consent last month.
ABC News’ Luis Martinez contributed to this report.
(UVALDE, Texas) — Amerie Jo Garza, 10, one of the 21 victims of the Robb Elementary School shooting, was a proud Girl Scout who had completed her bridging ceremony — moving from one level of Girl Scouts to the next — the week before she died.
On Tuesday, the day she was laid to rest in her hometown of Uvalde, Texas, it was announced that Amerie Jo was awarded one of Girl Scouts’ highest honors.
The fourth grade student was awarded the Bronze Cross, an award given “for saving or attempting to save life at the risk of the Girl Scout’s own life,” according to Girl Scouts of Southwest Texas, which announced the honor.
“On May 24, 2022, Amerie did all she could to save the lives of her classmates and teachers,” the Girl Scouts of Southwest Texas said in a statement, adding, “We will carry her story with us always and ensure her brave actions will endure for generations.”
In addition to presenting the Bronze Cross to Amerie Jo’s family, the Girl Scouts said they also honored the 10-year-old with a Presentation of Colors at her funeral.
“Amerie was a bright and outgoing fourth-grader who loved Play-Doh, playing with friends at recess — and being a Girl Scout,” Girl Scouts of Southwest Texas said in a statement. “She was proud of the badges she earned.”
On May 24, Amerie Jo was in a fourth grade classroom at Robb Elementary School when a gunman entered the school and then her classroom, killing 19 students and two teachers.
Amerie Jo’s father, Angel Garza, told ABC News last week that his daughter just turned 10 on May 10.
“Thank you everyone for the prayers and help trying to find my baby,” Garza wrote in a statement to ABC News. “She’s been found. My little love is now flying high with the angels above. Please don’t take a second for granted. Hug your family. Tell them you love them. I love you Amerie Jo. Watch over your baby brother for me.”
A visitation was held for Amerie Jo on Monday at Hillcrest Memorial Funeral Home in Uvalde.
Her funeral was held the next day, Tuesday, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, also in Uvalde.
(NEW YORK) — With more travelers ready to take to the skies this season, the Transportation Security Administration predicts a summer of record-breaking proportions.
According to the agency, it could screen more than 3 million people in a day with the summer surge demand.
Airfare, ticket prices soar
Scott Keyes, who dedicates his life to helping travelers find cheap flights with his brand, Scott’s Cheap Flights, told Good Morning America that “It’s not just your imagination — summer flights right now are indeed extraordinarily expensive.”
His suggestion? Book sooner than later.
“Don’t wait to book your flights until the very last minute, because last-minute flights are generally going to get more expensive, not less expensive,” he said.
One family said their recent cross-country trip to California was astronomical compared to years past.
“A flight [to] the San Francisco for us would typically be about $1,600. And it was about $2,800,” Karen Brennan told Good Morning America.
Brennan said she saved and paid for the flights, “but then all the hotels and everything else that would normally be in our usual budget just added into it.”
According to experts, the July 4 holiday is the most expensive summer weekend to fly with domestic airfares averaging $412.
When to Find Cheaper Summer Deals
Waiting until the end of summer can save travelers. Hayley Berg, an economist for the flight savings and booking app Hopper, told GMA.
“If you’re willing to wait until late August to take your summer vacation. You can save as much as $118 off of domestic airfare and more than $100 off a three-night hotel stay,” she said.
Destinations That Don’t Break the Bank
Berg also said that some of the most expensive stays include Seattle, San Diego and Portland. But some less expensive places include Houston, Orlando and Fort Lauderdale.
Other Money Saving Tips
For families, try booking just one ticket at a time, rather than all together, Keyes suggested .
“A few months ago, we had a flight from Portland to New York, and we were searching for four tickets. And those tickets came back at $187 per person,” Keyes said. “When I reduced it down to one ticket, all of a sudden the price dropped to $113 per person.”
Keyes said what’s happening is “the airline will only sell you four tickets if they are in the same — ‘fare bucket’ — so maybe they only had three tickets available at that $113 rate. And so by searching for four tickets, I got bumped up to $187 rate.”
Another savings option is to try searching for one-way ticket fares. While one airline may have a good offer for your departure, another airline could have a good option for the return flight. Once you book, travelers can periodically go back and check the flight’s current price, so if it drops you can call the airline and ask to get a credit.
(MOSCOW) — The Kremlin said Wednesday that President Joe Biden’s plans to send advanced rocket systems to Ukraine was “adding fuel to the fire.”
“We know that the United States has been purposefully and meticulously adding fuel to the fire,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, according to the Russian news agency Interfax. “The United States pursues the course towards fighting Russia to the last Ukrainian.”
Biden said Tuesday the U.S. would provide advanced rocket systems to help Ukraine defend itself, as Russia’s invasion nears the 100-day mark.
“We have moved quickly to send Ukraine a significant amount of weaponry and ammunition so it can fight on the battlefield and be in the strongest possible position at the negotiating table,” Biden wrote in an opinion piece in The New York Times. “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.
Russia’s foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, said Wednesday that if Ukraine receives multiple-launch rocket systems from the West there were “risks” of a third country becoming involved in the conflict, according to Interfax. “Such risks, of course, exist,” he told reporters, responding to a question, according to Interfax.
The White House’s principal deputy national security adviser, Jonathan Finer, said Wednesday morning that “Russia has brought this on itself.”
“We don’t negotiate our security assistance packages to Ukraine with the Kremlin,” Finer said during an interview with CNN, adding that Biden had warned Russian President Vladimir Putin “directly” that if he “launched a new, renewed invasion of Ukraine, the United States would increase the amount of security assistance we were providing, including new and advanced systems.”
“They have not been pleased by the amount of security assistance we’ve been providing to the Ukrainians, frankly, since far before this most recent phase of the conflict began,” Finer said.
The United States will send high mobility artillery rocket systems (HIMARS), which will enable the Ukrainians to “more precisely strike key targets on the battlefield from a greater distance inside Ukraine, and to help them repel Russians,” a senior Biden administration official told reporters Tuesday.
The missiles will be provided as part of a new, $700 million security assistance package for Ukraine — the 11th of its kind from the U.S. — which will also include additional javelin anti-tank missiles, helicopters, tactical vehicles and artillery rounds.
The HIMARS is a longer-range rocket system that can fire munitions up to 190 miles.
But the munitions the U.S. plans to provide Ukraine have a maximum range of around 50 miles, according to senior Biden administration officials.
Officials say they wanted to limit the range so that the weapons would be used on the battlefield in eastern Ukraine but not fired further into Russia itself.
As Russia has shifted its invasion to the east of the country, Ukrainian fighters have found themselves outgunned by a Russian military with more powerful artillery.
Ukraine has struggled to push back Russian advances, and its leaders have long asked the U.S. to send more powerful guns.
“We need more heavy weapons delivered as soon as possible, especially MLRS, to repel Russian attacks,” Ukraine’s foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, tweeted last week, referring to multiple-launch rocket systems.
An official stressed that the Ukrainians had given the United States “assurances they will not use” the new systems the U.S. is providing “against targets in Russian territory.”
“These systems will be used by the Ukrainians to repel Russian advances on Ukrainian territory, but they will not be used against targets in Russia,” the official said.
The administration has taken pains to underscore this distinction, given Russia’s warning that advanced systems would be seen as an escalation.
Biden’s announcement came a day after he sparked confusion during a quick exchange with a reporter outside the White House.
Asked if he planned “to send long-range rocket systems to Ukraine,” Biden only responded, “We’re not going to send to Ukraine rocket systems that can strike into Russia.”
White House officials clarified they were still considering sending longer-range systems to Russia. Ultimately, the U.S. stopped short of sharing systems with an even longer range than HIMARS.
In his Tuesday New York Times essay, the president stressed the action was not intended to start a broader conflict, and said the U.S. was “not encouraging or enabling Ukraine to strike beyond its borders” – nor did it “want to prolong the war just to inflict pain on Russia.”
“We do not seek a war between NATO and Russia,” Biden wrote. “As much as I disagree with Mr. Putin, and find his actions an outrage, the United States will not try to bring about his ouster in Moscow.
“So long as the United States or our allies are not attacked,” he continued, “we will not be directly engaged in this conflict, either by sending American troops to fight in Ukraine or by attacking Russian forces.
