There are also concerns inside the administration that providing the longer-range ATACMS weapons would cross a red line in the eyes of Moscow, which would see the US becoming “a direct party to the conflict.”But that red line is becoming murkier with Friday’s annexation of four Ukraine territories by Russia.“We essentially described exactly what specific targets we need to hit on our territory which are not reachable with what we have now,” said a senior Ukrainian official.“The categories of targets are clear and do not change.”Among them would be more distant Russian logistical lines, air defense and bases, as well as ammunition depots in Ukraine’s east and south, including Crimea, which have become a regular target of the current US-provided rocket systems whose munitions have a maximum range of around 50 miles (80 kilometers).US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin made specific mention of the HIMARS systems in discussing Ukraine’s recent battlefield success in the Kherson region of the country during an exclusive interview with CNN’s Fareed Zakaria that aired Sunday on “Fareed Zakaria GPS.”Austin said Ukrainian forces have used “technology like HIMARS” and employed it in the “right way” to “conduct attacks on things like logistical stores and command and control, that’s taking away – taken away significant capability from the Russians.”US officials have argued the current precision HIMARS munitions, called GMLRS, offer plenty of firepower and range for Ukraine’s current needs with the ability to strike the vast majority of Russian targets.“We believe that we’re providing the Ukrainians with the range of capabilities that are commensurate with the fight that they’re executing based on the requirements that they’ve identified for us,” the Pentagon’s Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Sasha Baker said Friday."