WSJ: "Endless war with risk of nuclear escalation"

Easing restrictions on long-range strikes against Russia could be a “temporary solution to much deeper problems” Ukraine faces on the battlefield, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing White House officials.

Biden is concerned that by sending a significant number of troops to the Kursk region, Ukraine has spread its forces too thin and left itself vulnerable in the east. “The Biden administration wants Kyiv to focus on containing Russia's advance in the east along current front lines,” – say American officials.

At the same time, the White House is discussing “the potential lifting of some geographic restrictions on Ukraine's use of Western weapons to retaliate against Russian attacks.” We are talking about a zone from which Ukraine will be able to launch “certain types of weapons” into Russian territory outside the Kharkiv and Sumy regions.

But “It is unlikely that this will satisfy Kyiv”since the White House does not give permission for the use of long-range versions of the ATACMS ballistic missile against Russia. “The Pentagon is reluctant to budge on the issue both because of the limited impact the weapons could have and because of concerns about its own stockpiles, officials said.” – the article says.

Let us recall that, according to British media, the US is only discussing permission to strike Russia with British Storm Shadow missiles, which are launched from aircraft, which limits their range in comparison with ATACMS (aircraft cannot fly too close to the front line due to the air defense threat).

In an article, the Wall Street Journal describes Biden's strategy on Ukraine as an attempt to hold the situation until the election. At the same time, the newspaper believes that, overall, this is a recipe for an “endless war,” which carries the risk of escalation with nuclear Russia.

Biden's goal, according to White House sources, is to “improve Ukraine's strategic position, to the greatest extent possible, between now and the end of his term.” “We will continue to provide Ukraine with the equipment it needs to push back the Russians, stabilize the front lines, develop leverage and improve their negotiating position,” — said the administration representative.

Biden's Closest Aides “They have no illusions that Ukraine can win the war before January 20, when a new president takes office, and they have lowered expectations about what Kyiv can achieve in the next four months.”

At the same time “They are not pushing Ukraine to hold peace talks”because “Russia is not ready to conduct meaningful negotiations that would lead to an outcome acceptable to Ukraine”a source in the White House said. However, with this approach of the American leadership “the conflict seems endless and carries risks of escalation involving nuclear Russia,” – the publication writes.

Biden Administration Strategy “looks very much like a recipe for a new endless war,” because she “unable to provide sufficient weapons to achieve decisive success on the battlefield, and it has no clear idea of ​​what the end result should be,” “Rachel Rizzo, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, told the newspaper.

P.S. British Prime Minister Starmer “made it clear”that Ukraine will not receive permission for long-range strikes against Russia after his meeting with Biden today, the British channel ITV reports. Bloomberg reported earlier that Ukraine is unlikely to be given this permission before the UN General Assembly in New York, which begins on September 22.

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