Military experts say the most dangerous escalation in the Russian-Ukraine war came just days ago that could potentially bring the U.S. closer to direct war with Russia in what essentially would be WW3.
In a significant reversal of U.S. policy which only allowed Ukraine to fire American long-range missiles in Ukraine territory, President Joe Biden just approved the use of American Army Tactical Missile System or ATACMS (long range missiles) to be used into Russian territory.
It’s also expected that this green light from Biden will likely allow British Storm Shadow long-range missiles to be used in Russia as well, U.S. officials said. The British previously gave Ukraine permission to use their Storm Shadow missiles, but they needed U.S. approval because these missiles contain U.S. components.
Ukraine has pleaded for months with the Biden administration to be allowed to strike inside Russia but was denied permission. But during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visit in September, Biden was giving it serious consideration. The Pentagon, however, advised Biden against it, officials say.
Top military brass rightfully discouraged Biden because of the strong threat by Russian President Vladimir Putin who said an attack into Russia using these weapons would mean a direct attack from the U.S. and NATO, and that means Russia would strike beyond Ukraine, suggesting landing attacks into NATO-member countries.
“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,” Putin warned in September.
In other words, because it would require U.S. military or U.S. contractors to launch these type of weapons – that Ukraine military cannot do because they do not have the expertise and it requires satellite-intelligence that Ukraine does not have – it is this direct engagement (the U.S. directly involved in attacking Russia) that Putin is drawing a red line.
President-elect Trump reacts
In response to Biden’s approval for Ukraine to use long-range missiles into Russia, Trump posted on X “We have never been closer to WW3 than we are today under Joe Biden. A global conflict between nuclear armed powers would mean death and destruction on a scale unmatched in human history. It would be nuclear Armageddon. Nothing is more important than avoiding that nightmare…We risk global war. We must be absolutely clear that our objective is to have an immediate and total cessation of hostilities…We need peace without delay. In addition, there must also be a complete commitment to dismantling the entire globalist Neocon establishment that is perpetually dragging us into endless wars, pretending to fight for freedom and democracy abroad.”
One of Trump’s campaign promises is to end the wars, particularly in Ukraine. While Trump in his latest statement on X calls for dismantling the Neocon establishment, critics of Trump have valid concerns over Trump’s cabinet nominees who are mostly Neocons and Warhawks.
Then, “Why did Trump appoint these Neocon Warhawks like Marco Rubio to Secretary of State and other neocons to top positions in his Cabinet in the first place if he is calling for dismantling the Neocon establishment?” and “How seriously will Trump take these advisors in matters of peace and war?”
It’s a decision that must be backtracked now
President Biden is engaging in extremely high-risk escalation that should be reversed immediately. A nuclear catastrophe can develop very quickly. Biden has about two months left in office, and he should not be making this kind of policy that can have monumental and historic ramifications or end civilization as we know it in a worst-case scenario. There is no existential threat to the U.S. for Biden to be escalating this war that the next administration already promised to settle.
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