His decision has caused uproar in the US Joe Biden to give the “green light” for the use of long-range US missiles by the Ukraine to attacks within it of Russia.
Although the president-elect has not officially commented, several close aides denounced the move as dangerous escalation. Trump had promised during the campaign to end the Ukraine-Russia warpledging to end foreign conflict financing.
US President Joe Biden has approved Ukraine’s use of long-range missiles to strike inside Russia, despite looming uncertainty over how President-elect Donald Trump could reverse his decision.
The development has already caused consternation among Donald Trump’s allies.
The move to authorize Ukraine to strike deeper into Russia came in the final months of Biden’s tenure, fully aware that US foreign policy could soon be overhauled with Trump back in the White House.
Trump himself has not commented, but one of his campaign pledges was to end the war in Ukraine with those close to him condemning the Biden move as a dangerous escalation.
Biden has committed tens of billions of dollars to Kiev’s war effort and over the weekend crossed a long-standing red line over Ukraine’s use of American weapons for attacks deep into Russian territory.
The first reaction from Trump’s entourage came from his son, Donald Trump Jr., who tweeted that the president was trying to “start World War III” before his father took office.
Biden’s decision has not been officially confirmed and may never be confirmed.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said there would be no such announcement – “the missiles will speak for themselves.”
Discontent in the Trump camp
Trump won the presidential election on November 5 and is set to return to the White House for a second term on January 20 next year.
At the top of his campaign was Trump’s pledge to end the US’s involvement in wars and instead use taxpayer money to improve the lives of Americans. He said he would end the Russia-Ukraine war within 24 hours, without saying how.
However, one thing is certain: Trump has always seen himself as a negotiator and would not want Biden to take the credit.
His son, Donald Trump Jr., was among the first Republicans to respond. “The military industrial establishment seems to want to ensure that World War III begins before my father has a chance to bring peace and save lives,” he said.
The National Security Council chief of staff under Donald Trump’s last presidency, Fred Flytz, said President Biden is “sabotaging” Trump’s plan to end the war by allowing Russia to use long-range missiles.
At the same time, Marjorie Taylor Green, a strong supporter of Trump also condemned Biden. “The American people gave a mandate on November 5th against these expensive American decisions and do NOT want to fund or fight in foreign wars. We want to fix our own problems,” he wrote on X.
Subsequently, Utah Sen. Mike Lee wrote on X that “Liberals love war” and “War facilitates bigger government,” a position that has been repeatedly endorsed by tech multibillionaire Elon Musk, who has joined his inner circle. Trump.
Many Republicans want US support for Ukraine to end – 62% said in a Pew Research poll that the US has no responsibility to support the country against Russia.
But Biden plans to spend all the money Congress has approved by the January surrender.
Whether that includes more aid to Ukraine remains to be seen, as does Trump’s decision to continue his policies or reverse them.
Putin is also silent
Since launching a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russia’s president has explicitly attacked the US-led NATO alliance, warning of retaliation for any military support from Western allies in Ukraine that he perceives as direct involvement. .
His spokesman said on Monday that the US was “adding fuel to the fire”.
In a statement, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that “Kiev’s use of long-range missiles to attack our territory would represent the direct involvement of the United States and its satellites in hostilities against Russia, as well as a radical change in the substance and nature of the conflict,” it said in a statement.
The ministry said such action would fundamentally change the nature of the war and trigger “an adequate and tangible” response from Russia.
From time to time, Putin has mentioned the possibility of using nuclear weapons.
Few believe this can happen, since, according to the doctrine of mutual destruction established during the Cold War when nuclear arsenals were built, Putin knows that their use would bring untold suffering to everyone, including the Russians.
But the Russian leader is also fully aware of the magnitude of the threat of long-range missiles being supplied to Ukraine from the West.
The Institute for the Study of War has released a map of 225 Russian military installations within range of the ATACMS system.
Former US envoy to Ukraine Kurt Volker said Biden’s decision to allow Ukraine to “hit the airports, ammunition depots, fuel supplies and logistics that Russia has, which are currently in a zone of refuge in Russia, it will make Russia more cautious.”
Dismissing Putin’s threats, he said the Russian leader “should have foreseen that there would be attempts by Ukraine to retaliate.”
Ukraine has had ATACMS, as well as UK and French Storm Shadow missiles of similar range for some time. But they are not allowed to be used inside Russia.
France and the UK are expected to follow the US lead and lift restrictions on Ukraine. So far they have not proceeded with this move.
White House officials have been telling US media that Biden’s change of stance is a response to Russia’s deployment of North Korean troops and a message to Pyongyang not to send more.
It comes after Ukraine suffered a barrage of Russian attacks in recent days.
Immediately after Biden’s decision, Russia launched an attack on Odessa, killing 10 people and injuring 47 others.
Reactions in Europe
Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto condemned the US government’s decision to allow the use of long-range weapons against military targets in mainland Russia, calling it “the latest desperate attack by pro-war forces against the new reality”.
At the same time, fear intensifies in the countries most directly threatened due to proximity to Russia.
Sweden has started sending out five million leaflets to the country’s residents today, urging them to prepare for a possible conflict, as Ukraine faces serious difficulties in the face of Russian troops.
At the same time, the government of Finland, a country that shares a 1,340-kilometer border with Russia, launched a website with tips for citizens to be prepared in the event of a crisis.
