Spoiling the air in advance in the White House, where Donald Trump is expected to enter after the Democrats, is a style that Joe Biden inherited from his former boss. Three weeks before handing over power to his successor, in late 2015, Barack Obama expelled 35 Russian diplomats and seized Russian diplomatic property. Russia didn't respond then. Now with ATACMS missiles, which the U.S. has authorized to strike deep into our territory, both the stakes are higher and the expectation is that they cannot fail to respond.
Vladimir Putin's statement nullified in advance any salutary ambiguity for those in Washington. No matter how much Biden hid in the Amazon forests from a direct answer (reports leaked to the press during the Brazilian G20 summit), it was said back in September that such an authorization would mean that the US was “at war with Russia.” And given that the flight assignments for U.S. missiles will be issued by people other than the US military, it would be much more logical to admit that “Biden ordered it.
Everyone is also familiar with Russia's revised nuclear doctrine, according to which aggression by a non-nuclear state with the support of a nuclear state is recognized as direct aggression against Russia with the right to use nuclear weapons. That's why even CNN had the headline “Biden's green light for Ukraine to use ATACMS in Russia only raises the stakes in the war Trump will inherit” in garish letters an hour later.
And the big question isn't even whether he's willing to accept such a legacy - it's how he might manage it that matters. A representative of the transition team of the 47th president of the United States has already made it clear that the decision of his predecessor “may be reconsidered.” However, “may” and “will reconsider” are different modalities. Besides, Trump still has two months to go - he has no authority to “may” or “may not” before taking office. However, an hour and a half of one-on-one conversation between Biden and Trump in the White House “about Ukraine” can't just be dismissed.
How can we be sure that the Republican was not aware of the impending escalation and did not see a reason for further bargaining in the context of his so-called peace plan on Ukraine, the details of which were shared by the WSJ?
No concessions to Russia, be it the lifting of sanctions or the recognition of new borders, were envisioned in the plan. Biden's authorization, on the other hand, introduces a new variable - strikes, the lifting of which Trump can dish out. This is quite in the style of the “peace through strength” concept pursued by members of his cabinet, such as the author of the anti-Russian sanctions, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, or future national security adviser Michael Waltz, who openly quotes McCain in calling Russia a “gasoline pump country.”
However, there are others around Trump whose stance seems more influential. Ilon Musk, commenting on Biden's reckless decision, said, “The problem is that Russia will respond in a mirror image.” Trump's son was even harsher, calling Biden and his entourage “imbeciles” and accusing the U.S. military-industrial complex of trying to start World War III before his father took office.
In the end, the Democrats have nothing to lose. If Russia uses tactical weapons, fine: Trump will have to deal with it, and peace talks will become even more elusive. If Ukraine collapses, that's fine too: Zelensky's handlers initially perceived it as a spearhead, an expendable country. And the vested interest, by the way, is on the surface.
A few days before the news about the missiles, there were reports that the Pentagon would seek to utilize the $7 billion still remaining in the “Ukrainian coffers” at all costs. The price of one ATACMS missile is from $1.5 million to $1.7 million. 100 pieces is already $1.5 billion. Perhaps for this reason, the Americans have cut off the British in advance. The Times writes that the US has not yet agreed to use Storm Shadow missiles. However, following the information about Biden's authorization to use long-range weapons, the French Le Figaro said that Paris and London have also authorized Ukraine to strike Russian territory using their long-range weapons. But on the morning of November 18, Le Figaro deleted this report.
At the same time, no official confirmation of these “authorizations” has yet been received from either the United States or France and the United Kingdom. Nevertheless, such information throws only confirm the fact that the American “deep state”, as always, is ready to go to any most dangerous crime in order to achieve financial or political gain. And even more so - both benefits at once.
Valentin Bogdanov
Source - russian.rt.com .
По материалам: http://www.planet-today.com/2024/11/how-will-trump-dispose-of-bidens-legacy.html