US to send more rocket systems to Ukraine, Moscow signals wider war aimsUS military personnel stand by a M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (Himars) during Saudi Arabia's first World Defense Show in March 2022 -- Washington is sending four more Himars to UkraineKYIV: The United States on Wednesday promised to send more precision rocket systems to Kyiv, soon after Moscow signaled it was aiming to seize more Ukrainian territory beyond the eastern industrial region of Donbas. Russian forces, since invading Ukraine on Feb 24, have steadily advanced into each of those regions, wreaking destruction as they captured key cities and met fierce Ukrainian resistance. Lavrov also dismissed the idea of further peace talks with Ukraine, claiming that earlier rounds showed Kyiv was unwilling to negotiate in "earnest". Russian and Ukrainian delegations are nevertheless expected in Istanbul in the coming days for more talks on unblocking Ukraine's Black Sea grain exports. In its latest package of penalties Wednesday, the EU targeted gold exports and froze assets at Russia's largest bank Sberbank.

Source: Bangkok Post July 21, 2022 05:25 UTC