Biden has an "appetite" to cross Putin's red lines – WP
Despite warnings that arms supplies to Ukraine will lead to a World War, US President Joe Biden continues to challenge Russian leader Vladimir Putin – a strategy that brings both risk and reward.
Source: The Washington Post with reference to sources in the US government
Details: As US officials explain, the key reason for ignoring Putin's threats is the fact that the Russian president does not keep his 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 any serious consequences.
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:
- Do they need it?
- Can they use it?
- Do we have this?
- What will be Russia's response?
A State Department official said the lack of response from Russia affected Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, Biden's key confidant, who encouraged the administration and U.S. allies to do more to support Ukraine.
A White House source said that like Blinken, Jake Sullivan, the White House national security adviser, also believes that the benefits of providing Ukraine with more powerful weapons outweigh the risks of escalation, and is actively cooperating with European allies to provide Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets.
According to US officials, a possible explanation for Putin's unwillingness to strike at the West is the deterioration of the quality of the Russian army.
General Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the United States, 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 this is a staggering loss for any conflict. And Putin replaced them with reservists who have weak discipline; they are poorly trained and poorly equipped.
Quote from the article summary: "Unquestionably, the Biden administration’s willingness to cross Putin’s red lines has bolstered Ukraine’s ability to defend itself and recapture territory in the east and south. What remains to be seen, however, is whether Putin will continue to allow the West to defy his threats without consequence".
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