US President Joe Biden authorized Ukraine for the first time to use long-range missiles supplied by the United States to attack Russian territory, according to sources cited by the Associated Press (AP) news agency.
The decision, announced this Sunday, constitutes an important change to United States policy and comes at a time when Biden is about to leave the White House and when President-elect Donald Trump has promised to reduce American support for Ukraine and end the war as quickly as possible.
The long-range missiles will likely be used in response to North Korea’s decision to send thousands of troops to Russia to support the continuation of the war in Ukraine, started in February 2022 by Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to the sources. AP, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The information was also released by The New York Times and AFP, citing US officials who requested anonymity.
Marques Mendes: If Biden articulated this decision with Trump, everything is fine
In this regard, Luís Marques Mendes said, in his weekly commentary on SIC, that Joe Biden’s decision “surprises because for months Ukraine asked the United States for authorization to use American weapons for long-range attacks and for months Biden said neither yes or no and, therefore, he did not authorize – and suddenly there is an authorization”.
“All this is happening after the elections. There is already a president elected and with a different opinion on Ukraine from the current president”, highlighted the former social democratic leader. “If Biden articulated this decision with Trump, everything is fine. They met this week, so I don’t know if so, if not. If he didn’t, I think this decision has some questionable aspects. Biden, until the last day has all the legitimacy from a legal, formal and institutional point of view to make decisions, but the political legitimacy is not the same, because there is already another president elected”.
“We will now see in the coming days. In any circumstance, this is an issue that may or may not contribute to some escalation in this war. Rhetorical escalation will be inevitable. If there is going to be more escalation, we have to be very attentive”, pointed out the commentator.
Putin: any nuclear power that supports an attack from a third country is considered an aggressor
Putin stated on September 25, at a meeting of the Russian Security Council, that proposals to “clarify” the doctrine on the use of nuclear weapons include considering any nuclear power that supports an attack by a third country as an aggressor of Russia.
“It was proposed to consider aggression against Russia by a non-nuclear country, but with the participation or support of a nuclear country, as a joint attack against the Russian Federation”, declared the Russian head of state, in a clear reference to Ukraine, which had requested authorization from the United States and other Western countries to use missiles supplied by them in attacks on Russian territory.
The large-scale Russian offensive against Ukraine began in February 2022 and Western countries have militarily supported Kiev in its defense.
During the Russian Security Council meeting, Putin did not specify whether Russia could respond to an attack in the terms described.
The current doctrine provides that Moscow will use its nuclear arsenal “in response to the use of nuclear weapons and other types of weapons of mass destruction against itself and/or its allies, as well as in the event of aggression against the Russian Federation with the use of conventional weapons, when the very existence of the State is in danger”.
Cited by AP, the revised version of the document provides in more detail the conditions for the use of nuclear weapons, such as in the case of a strong air attack involving planes, cruise missiles or ‘drones’ (unmanned aircraft).
On September 12, Putin had warned that Western countries authorizing Ukraine for long-range missile strikes against Russian territory would mean that “NATO countries are at war with Russia.”
“If this decision (to use Western long-range missiles) is taken, it will mean nothing less than the direct involvement of NATO countries (North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Western defense bloc) in the war in Ukraine,” Putin warned. .
“This would change the very nature of the conflict. It would mean that NATO countries are at war with Russia,” Putin added in a video published on the digital platform Telegram.
War on the way to three years
Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, with the argument of protecting pro-Russian separatist minorities in the east and “denazifying” the neighboring country, independent since 1991 – after the collapse of the Soviet Union – and which has been pushing away moving away from Moscow’s sphere of influence and getting closer to Europe and the West.
The war in Ukraine has already claimed tens of thousands of lives on both sides, and recent months have been marked by large-scale Russian airstrikes against Ukrainian cities and infrastructure, while Kiev’s forces have targeted targets on nearby Russian territory. border and on the Crimean peninsula, illegally annexed in 2014.
In the third year of war, the Ukrainian Armed Forces were faced with a lack of soldiers and weapons and ammunition, despite repeated promises of help from Western allies, which have since begun to materialize.
Russian troops, more numerous and better equipped, continue their advance on the eastern front, despite the Ukrainian offensive in Russia, in the Kursk region.
Negotiations between the two parties have been completely blocked since spring 2022, with Moscow continuing to demand that Ukraine accept the annexation of part of its territory.
Source: www.jornaldenegocios.pt
