Ben Weingarten Federalist Senior Contributor; Claremont Institute Fellow
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Opinion

Russia-Ukraine war heating up as Biden exits, Trump returns

Ben Weingarten Federalist Senior Contributor; Claremont Institute Fellow
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The Russia-Ukraine war has been heating up in recent weeks following North Korea’s deployment of over 10,000 troops to assist the Russian war effort. President Biden, citing that development and following years of public criticism, is now permitting Ukraine to use U.S.-made long-range missiles against select targets in the Kursk region of Russia. Putin, in response, threatened yet again to use nuclear weapons.

Watch the above video as Straight Arrow News contributor Ben Weingarten reviews these and other recent developments in global conflicts and offers his take on why President Biden is just now approving these measures.


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The following is an excerpt from the above video:

Trump has promised to bring the conflict in Ukraine to a swift close. President Vladimir Zelenskyy said the war will end “faster under Trump.” More than half of Ukrainians want a quick negotiated end to the war, according to recent polling. Vladimir Putin is reportedly open to talking.

Under the Trump I administration, the president dealt strongly with Russia to deter her while maintaining an open line of dialogue with Putin. Unlike under Biden and Obama, there was no invasion of Ukraine, yet, less than two months from a Trump administration determined to end the conflict and better positioned to deter Russian aggression going forward, Joe Biden seems to want to needlessly escalate the conflict.

In addition to committing to throw billions more at what looks like, at best, an apparent bloody stalemate, and reversing policy to provide anti-personnel mines to Ukraine, Biden also lifted restrictions permitting Ukraine to launch long-range ATACMS, American tactical missiles, into Russia.

Joe Biden promised Donald Trump a peaceful transfer of power yet to witness the outgoing administration’s final moves on the world stage, this transfer looks anything but peaceful. Consider the administration’s parting shots with respect to the Russo Ukrainian war and Israel’s seven front war against Iran and its proxies, Trump has promised to bring the conflict in Ukraine to a swift close. President Vladimir Zelinsky said the war will end, quote, faster under Trump, more than half of Ukrainians want a quick negotiated end to the war, according to recent polling, Vladimir Putin is reportedly open to talking under the Trump one administration, the president dealt strongly with Russia to deter her while maintaining an open line of dialog with Putin, unlike under Biden and Obama, there was no invasion of Ukraine, yet, less than two months from a Trump administration determined to end the conflict and better positioned to deter Russian aggression going forward, Joe Biden seems to want to needlessly escalate the conflict, in addition to committing to throw billions more at what looks like at best, an apparent bloody stalemate and reversing policy to provide anti personnel mines to Ukraine. Biden also lifted restrictions permitting Ukraine to launch long range attack EMS, American tactical missiles into Russia. The spin is that these decisions weren’t dictated by the election and that this isn’t about escalating the war or boxing Trump into a policy he doesn’t want to pursue. But as the New York Times reported, quote, officials said they do not expect the shift with respect to the missiles to fundamentally alter the course of the war. So why authorize the strikes? Some officials the Times reported, quote, said they feared that Ukraine’s use of the missiles across the border could prompt Putin to retaliate with force against the United States and its coalition partners. And lo and behold, following the missile decision, Russia announced changes to its nuclear doctrine, lowering the threshold by which it would deploy nuclear weapons. The use of Western non nuclear rockets by the armed forces of Ukraine against Russia can prompt a nuclear response. ABC reported under the new doctrine, and under that modified doctrine, the report indicated Russia can launch a nuclear attack against a country, assisting a non nuclear country in aggression against Russia that critically threatens the country’s state integrity. That is, if you work alongside Ukraine in certain attacks, you’re going to be held responsible, according to Russia, Russia proceeded to fire an experimental intermediate range ballistic missile, a novel hypersonic one reportedly and one that was reportedly nuclear capable at Ukraine. Zelensky called this a clear and severe escalation in the scale and brutality of this war. This may well stymie President Trump’s coming attempts to bring it to a close. There’s zero indication this is about escalating to de escalate, particularly when you’re talking about a president that has no credibility here in Joe Biden making these moves. Instead, Russia seems to be indicating it is now at war with Britain due to its arming of Ukraine, Russia has threatened even a strike on an American missile base in Poland. Ukraine’s former top general says World War Three is already underway, while that war appears unwinnable for America backed Ukraine. At this point, our ally Israel is poised to decisively win the seven front war it faces from Iran and its proxies, but the lame duck Biden administration seems poised to prevent it from winning, thereby protecting Hamas Hezbollah and the monocracy that stands behind them. The Administration recently awarded $230 million in additional funding for purported humanitarian projects in Judea and Samaria and Gaza, aka material support to terror, since the jihadist groups operating in these areas under Arab control ultimately sees substantial percentages of these funds the Gaza terror state, of course, was built on quote, unquote, humanitarian support in the first place, the Biden administration was reportedly working with the Jew hating jackals at the UN to push a resolution forcing a cease fire in Gaza. It balked only when the terms were too outrageous for even it to go along with the language proposed unconditional cease fire, no hostage return, but almost immediately thereafter, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav gallant America’s allies claimed they would honor those warrants, limiting the ability of these men to travel on grounds that the ICC has cast them as war criminals, to be arrested. There is no way, zero chance This move takes place. Had the US not given the ICC active or minimally tacit approval, as Israeli sources have reported, America should could surely compel this Jew hating us, hating jihadi abetting kangaroo court to stand down. The Biden administration paved the way for these efforts, not only through its own efforts to slander and delegitimize a Netanyahu government it is sought to topple, but by removing the crippling sanctions the Trump administration had imposed on the ICC, keeping it in check and by not demanding that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer permit a vote on legislation to again send.

 

In the ICC that had passed the house back in June, American soldiers and our leaders may now find themselves targeted by the ICC based on this precedent. Biden is also working overtime to try and impose a cease fire in Israel that will allow Hezbollah to regroup when Israel has the monocracy, preeminent jihadist group on the ropes, put it all together in the Biden administration is provoking and privileging our enemies, making the world infinitely more volatile during what’s supposed to be the peaceful transition period. It sure seems like an effort to sabotage his successor and to the detriment of America and the free world. I.

 

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