Maybe Joe Biden didn’t get the memo: he lost the presidential election and will be vacating the White House in January. It’s an odd time to be announcing a significant–and perhaps escalatory–shift toward Ukraine as they try to stave off Russian aggression in the ongoing war between the two countries.
Yet that’s what Biden did Sunday, revealing that the administration has given its blessing for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Co. to fire U.S.-supplied long-range missiles at targets inside Russia:
President Joe Biden has authorized the use of U.S.-supplied long-range missiles by Ukraine to strike even deeper inside Russia, the latest easing of limitations meant to prevent the conflict from further spiraling, according to one U.S. official and three people familiar with the matter.
The decision allowing Ukraine to use the Army Tactical Missile System, or ATACMs, for attacks farther into Russia comes as thousands of North Korean troops have been sent into a region along Ukraine’s northern border to help Russia retake ground and as President-elect Donald Trump has said he would bring about a swift end to the war, expressing skepticism over continued support by the United States.
Notably, Russian President Vladimir Putin has previously warned that the use of such missiles would constitute an act of war. Speaking in September, he said:
“This [the missiles) will mean that NATO countries – the United States and European countries – are at war with Russia. And if this is the case, then, bearing in mind the change in the essence of the conflict, we will make appropriate decisions in response to the threats that will be posed to us,” Putin told reporters on Thursday [September 12].
He explained some of the reasons why:
“Flight assignments for these missile systems can, in fact, only be entered by military personnel from NATO countries. Ukrainian servicemen cannot do this. And therefore, it is not a question of allowing the Ukrainian regime to strike Russia with these weapons or not. It is a question of making a decision whether NATO countries directly participate in the military conflict or not…”
“If this decision is made, it will mean nothing less than the direct participation of NATO countries, the United States, and European countries, in the war in Ukraine,” he added.
Putin has not yet responded to Biden’s announcement Sunday.
Related: Putin Threatens the West With Latest Nuclear Weapons Announcement
North Korea to Send Up to 12,000 Troops to Fight for Russia in Ukraine
Biden avoided reporters, as he usually does:
President-elect Trump had a surprisingly friendly meeting with Biden in the White House Wednesday during which they both stressed ensuring a smooth transition. That makes it an even weirder time to be issuing extremely significant policy changes that could drive us into full-scale war.
The American people have spoken, and they want Trump to make such decisions, not a lame-duck president whose faculties have been in question to the point where he had to step out of the presidential race.
It’s too important.
