US President Joe Biden continues to challenge war criminal Russian President Vladimir Putin despite warnings that supplying arms to Ukraine would lead to a world war. This is the strategy of the American leader, bringing both risk and reward.
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This is reported by The Washington Post, citing sources in the US government.
A key reason for ignoring Putin’s threats is the fact that the Kremlin is not sticking to its promises to punish the West for providing weapons to Ukraine. His bluff assured American and European leaders that they could continue to do so without serious repercussions.
U.S. officials say managing escalation risks remains one of the most difficult aspects of the war for Biden and his foreign policy advisers. When deciding which new weapons systems to provide to Ukraine, they focus on four key factors:
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do they need it?
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can they use it?
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or do we have it?
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what will be the response of the Russian Federation?
A US State Department official said the lack of a response from Moscow affected the risk calculation of Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, a key Biden confidant who encouraged Washington and allies to support Kiev more.
A White House source said that White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan is confident that the outcome of providing Ukraine with more powerful weapons will outweigh the risks of escalation, and is actively cooperating with European allies to provide the Ukrainian Armed Forces with F-16 fighter jets. According to US officials, a possible explanation for Putin’s reluctance to strike at the West is the deterioration of the Russian army.
The Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley, recalled that since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia has lost up to 250 thousand killed and wounded, and these are amazing losses for any conflict. Putin replaced them with poorly trained and equipped reservists with weak discipline.
The Washington Post concludes that the Biden administration’s willingness to cross Putin’s red lines has strengthened Ukraine’s ability to defend itself and reclaim territory to the east and south. However, it is not clear what will be Putin’s response to the actions of the West.
Source: Racurs
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.