Biden’s Long Range Missile Folly in Ukraine
The president seems to be lighting fires and planting landmines, literally, on the way out
On Wednesday the US embassy in Kyiv issued a rare, urgent warning that Russia might launch a “a significant air attack.” The embassy was closed and employees were told to shelter in place. Officials did not provide any specific information about threats to the building, and air raids were sounding for most of the county due to incoming drone attacks from Russia.
The warnings come just days after the Biden administration gave permission to Ukraine to use U.S. long-range missiles, specifically Army Tactical Missile Systems, or ATACMs, to attack inside Russia. This is the latest in a string of crossed “red lines” for the administration, and according to our guest this week, a big one. He also gave permission for the Pentagon to transfer antipersonnel land mines to Ukraine to use to stall Russian progression on the Ukrainian battlefield (Biden had publicly opposed such weapons as recently as 2020).
Ukraine has taken its new authority and is running hard with it, launching at least six ATACMs into Russia on Monday, hitting an ammunition facility in the Bryansk region in Southwestern part of the country. According to the New York Times, “the strike represented a demonstration of force for Ukraine as it tries to show Western allies that providing more powerful and sophisticated weapons will pay off — by degrading Russia’s combat capabilities and relieving pressure on Kyiv’s overstretched forces.”
But my colleague, Mark Episkospos, a research fellow in the Eurasia program at the Quincy Institute and a scholar of Russian history and military strategy, says this is folly, that allowing Ukraine to strike deep into Russia not only prolongs a war that will never ultimately turn in Kyiv’s favor, but opens NATO countries up to Russian retaliation, even nuclear attack.
To put a finer point on it, the Kremlin updated its nuclear doctrine this week, declaring nuclear retaliation on nuclear powers fair game if Russia is attacked with their weapons via a non-nuclear power like Ukraine.
Mark walks us through with why this red line may be the most dangerous yet.
More from Mark Episkopos:
Biden's ‘Last bang’: Allow long range missiles in Russia
Trump has a mandate to end the Ukraine War
Ukraine’s Kursk Incursion Is a Two-Edged Sword
Ukraine & the West are crossing red lines. Why isn't Russia reacting?