President Biden approved sending anti-personnel mines to Ukraine late Tuesday, a reversal of policy and yet another escalation in the conflict with Russia ahead of President-elect Trump’s inauguration.
Ukrainian officials have reportedly promised to only deploy the mines in Ukrainian territory and away from major population centers. The U.S. had previously withheld anti-personnel mines because of their tendency to outlast conflicts once deployed and cause injury to innocents.
The U.S. has reportedly taken precautions to prevent such injuries, however. The mines being delivered to Ukraine operate on an electric fuse that relies on a battery. That battery typically runs out over the course of hours or even weeks, and it is then inoperative, according to CBS News.
The Biden administration’s approval came the same day that Ukraine used American-made ATACMs in a strike on Russian soil. Biden had prohibited such uses until last week.
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Allies of President-elect Trump have blasted the Biden administration for approving Ukraine’s escalation of its conflict with Russia in the final months before Trump takes office.
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“The Military Industrial Complex seems to want to make sure they get World War 3 going before my father has a chance to create peace and save lives,” Donald Trump Jr. posted on social media after Biden’s long-range missile approval. “Gotta lock in those $Trillions. Life be dammed!!! Imbeciles!”
According to a senior U.S. official, Biden’s actions are spurred by the Russian decision to invite 10,000 North Korean soldiers into the fight against Ukraine in Kursk. A second official told Fox News that it is unclear if Biden plans to approve the use of the missiles outside the Kursk region.
Russian President Vladimir Putin reacted by updating Russia’s nuclear weapon use doctrines. The White House National Security Council downplayed that reaction.
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“As we said earlier this month, we were not surprised by Russia’s announcement that it would update its nuclear doctrine; Russia had been signaling its intent to update its doctrine for several weeks. Observing no changes to Russia’s nuclear posture, we have not seen any reason to adjust our own nuclear posture or doctrine in response to Russia’s statements today,” an NSC spokesperson told Fox News Digital.
“This is more of the same irresponsible rhetoric from Russia, which we have seen for the past two years. As we said to Russia weeks ago, Russia’s use of DPRK soldiers in combat operations against Ukraine presents a significant escalation of its war of choice against Ukraine and we warned that the United States would respond,” the statement continued.
The announcement came after Great Britain and France authorized Ukraine to launch SCALP/Storm Shadow missile strikes, according to French outlet Le Figaro.
Putin has previously said that giving Ukraine the green light on missile use would effectively mean that the U.S. and NATO are “in the war.”
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