Biden shows willingness to cross Putin’s red lines - The Washington Post
Despite warnings that supplying Ukraine with weapons would lead to a world war, U.S. President Joe Biden continues to challenge Russian leader Vladimir Putin, a strategy that brings both risk and reward.
This was stated by The Washington Post, reports Censor.NЕТ with reference to UP.
According to U.S. officials, the key reason for ignoring Putin's threats is the fact that the Russian president has not kept his promises to punish the West for providing weapons to Ukraine. His bluff has assured American and European leaders that they can continue to do so without serious consequences.
US officials say that managing the risks of escalation 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: "Do they need it? Can they use it? Do we have it? What will Russia's response be?"
One State Department official said that the lack of a response from Russia has influenced the risk calculus of Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, a key Biden confidant who has been encouraging the administration and U.S. allies to do more to support Ukraine.
A White House source said that, like Blinken, White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan also believes that the benefits of providing Ukraine with more powerful weapons outweigh the risks of escalation and is actively working with European allies to provide Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets.
According to U.S. officials, a possible explanation for Putin's reluctance to strike the West is the deteriorating state of the Russian army.
The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley, draws attention to the fact that since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia has lost up to 250,000 killed and wounded, and these are staggering losses for any conflict. And Putin has replaced them with reservists who have poor discipline, are poorly trained and poorly equipped.
"Undoubtedly, the Biden administration's willingness to cross Putin's red lines has strengthened Ukraine's ability to defend itself and regain territory in the east and south. However, it remains unclear whether Putin will continue to allow the West to ignore his threats with impunity," The Washington Post summarizes.
