President Joe Biden has taken actions that have further embroiled the United States in the conflict in Ukraine, despite his initial intentions to the contrary.
In the near future, Ukraine will have the capability to launch attacks on Russia, a nuclear-armed nation, using weapons manufactured in the United States. This move has received approval from the President of the United States.
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Biden’s acknowledgment is a clear admission that his previous attempts to fully protect Ukraine have not been successful. This is evident from Russia’s continued incursion into Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city. It also signifies how Biden’s initial intention of offering assistance while maintaining a hands-off approach in Ukraine has been greatly challenged.
The White House has emphasized the restriction of specific weapons to be used against targets in and around the Kharkiv region, including those located just over the border on Russian soil. However, it is noteworthy that this decision carries significant risk, especially considering the President’s initial goal of stabilizing relations with Russia and his subsequent directive to his staff to prevent the escalation of a potential World War III following Moscow’s full-scale assault on Ukraine.
Biden decided to change course after being encouraged by his aides, Democrats, and foreign leaders. They urged him to gradually move past the red lines he had set regarding America’s involvement. When Biden and his team witnessed the crisis unfolding in Kharkiv, the president became convinced to change his stance once more.
According to a U.S. official familiar with the battlefield situation, there is a strong belief that the Ukrainians are facing a significant challenge. It is widely acknowledged that action needs to be taken to undermine the Russian advances. The main objective is to impede the progress of the Russians and allow the Ukrainians to regroup and regain their strength, providing them with much-needed time. This policy change, which was conducted covertly, was initially reported by POLITICO on Thursday. As with other officials, the source requested anonymity to provide insights into the reasoning behind this decision.
Over the course of two years, Biden has continuously increased support for Ukraine. Initially, this involved providing the country with American arms, and most recently, granting Kyiv permission to target Russian forces in Ukraine using donated long-range weapons. Throughout this process, Washington has emphasized that its actions are aimed at assisting Ukraine in self-defense rather than engaging in a covert proxy war against an adversary.
The U.S. finds it increasingly challenging to uphold its primary message.
Fiona Hill, a well-known Russia expert who previously held the same role in former President Donald Trump’s White House, emphasized that the current situation is revealing the truth that has been hidden for a considerable length of time.
“They have been found by war,” she remarked about the Biden administration.
According to Oleh Syniehubov, the regional governor of Kharkiv, Russia is still actively involved in the war in Ukraine. On Friday, Syniehubov reported on Telegram that Moscow’s forces targeted a five-story apartment, resulting in the death of three individuals and injuring 16 others, including children. Despite President Biden’s approval, Russian President Vladimir Putin shows no signs of backing down and may escalate the conflict by deploying additional weapons and fighters in the near future.
“This limited lifting of sanctions is already having an impact, and the Russians are expected to adapt quickly,” revealed a trusted source within the Kyiv government.
During a meeting of top NATO member diplomats in Prague this week, Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen expressed her support for Ukraine’s right to attack military targets on the side of the aggressor. She stated, “Kyiv has the authority to target military objectives on the aggressor’s side.”
Norway’s foreign minister, Espen Barth Eide, expressed his belief that Ukraine should utilize the weapons it has received from Western countries against military targets that are directly involved in the conflict in Ukraine. According to Eide, imposing limits on the use of these weapons would only hinder Ukraine’s ability to achieve victory.
Biden has previously made bold moves in foreign policy, such as withdrawing U.S. forces from Afghanistan, which marked the end of America’s 20-year-long engagement in the war. However, this decision resulted in the Taliban regaining power, undoing progress made in women’s rights, and causing a chaotic evacuation with Americans desperately seeking to leave. Nonetheless, this move was aimed at bringing an end to a conflict rather than potentially exacerbating an ongoing one.
Biden administration officials quickly attempted to minimize the impact of this change, emphasizing that Biden had only approved a partial easing of a long-standing restriction.
Ukraine has the option to utilize American weapons in order to safeguard itself against a potential Russian attack on the city of Kharkiv. In this scenario, Ukraine would be able to effectively counter incoming missiles or troop concentrations near the border. However, it is important to note that Ukraine does not possess the capability to target Russian military installations or civilian infrastructure located far away from the urban battleground.
According to a U.S. official, the action being taken is defensive in nature, rather than offensive.
Rob Lee, from the Foreign Policy Research Institute, concurred with the notion that the administration’s conditions indicate a desire to mitigate escalation risks. However, Lee also pointed out that a complete prohibition on using U.S.-supplied weapons to counter Russia’s Kharkiv offensive would be excessively limiting.
Pressure from Congress is one of the main reasons for the change in the approach to striking targets inside Russia. In recent weeks, Democrats have been urging the administration to lift the restrictions on weapons. They found it illogical to limit Ukraine’s defenses while it was facing a major attack on its second-largest city. Rep. John Garamendi (D-Calif.), who is deeply concerned about the potential for nuclear escalation, described the decision as “necessary.”
Top aides to President Biden, on the other hand, had consistently opposed the notion that the administration was proceeding too cautiously and providing only incremental assistance to Ukraine due to concerns about exacerbating the situation. However, when Russia initiated its offensive in Kharkiv, these aides began to reassess the situation and put forth a proposal for a policy change. According to a senior administration official, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who had been a strong advocate for promptly providing weapons to Ukraine upon their request, also played a crucial role in presenting the case to Biden.
