The United States secretly modified the HIMARS launchers it gave to Ukraine so they could not be used to launch long-range missiles at Russia, U.S. officials said on condition of anonymity, the Wall Street Journal reported.

A Biden administration would take this precaution because it is necessary to reduce the risk of escalation to war.

Since June, the US has provided Ukraine with 20 HIMARS launchers and a fairly large number of satellite-guided missiles with a range of about 80 kilometers.

These missiles were used to attack Russian ammunition depots, logistics and command centers on the territory of Ukraine.

The American publication notes that HIMARS launchers have a unique function designed to prevent them from becoming even more powerful systems on the battlefield.

The Pentagon declined to comment

US officials say the Pentagon has modified the launchers to prevent them from launching long-range missiles, including ATACMS missiles, which have a range of nearly 200 miles.

The WSJ speculates that the Biden administration made the changes in secret because officials feared Ukraine would break its promise not to strike Russian territory with Pentagon-provided weapons.

The Pentagon declined to comment on the information, which US officials said involved Department of Defense hardware and software.

“For reasons of operational security, we do not comment publicly on the configuration of systems provided to allies and partners,” Air Force Brigadier General Patrick Ryder, a Pentagon spokesman, told the WSJ.

“The United States remains committed to providing Ukraine with the capabilities it needs to counter Russian aggression.”

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