2 days Ago
If war has been called the gambling table of governments, the chips are those caught in the crossfire. In the eyes of Moscow, US president Joe Biden’s consent for Ukraine to use long-range missiles for limited strikes in Russia marks a reckless raising of the stakes. Russian senator Vladimir Dzhabarov called it “an unprecedented step towards World War III”, a view, incidentally shared by Donald Trump Jr.
“The madmen who are drawing Nato into a direct conflict with our country may soon be in great pain,” Russian state newspaper Rossiyskaya Gazeta told readers. The truth is, since Vladimir Putin turned the international rules-based order on its head and started the war, global peace has been knocked off its axis. We are one missile strike away from disaster.
Speaking at the G20 in Brazil, Mr Biden told leaders the US strongly supports Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. The weapons will be restricted to allowing Ukraine to hold on to the small piece of Russian territory it occupies in Kursk. This is a defensive measure, unlike the aggressive invasion.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has said “the missiles will speak for themselves”. But Russia has warned the decision adds “fuel to the fire”. Were it not for the fact that hundreds of thousands of lives are being squandered, there might be something surreal to Moscow’s reactions.
Let’s not forget the inferno was sparked on February 24, 2022, when Putin announced his “special military operation” – expected to last no more than three days. It must also be kept in mind that 10,000 North Korean troops have entered on the battlefield on the side of Russia. This introduces another highly dangerous and volatile foreign power into the mix.
Such was the context for Washington’s assent to lifting the ban. Does the Kremlin really believe it can legitimately rain fire down on top of civilians in Ukraine, yet cry foul at Kyiv for striking back? The most critical point of all is that the nightmare could end in a minute, should Putin so wish. He started it, and could end it.
His goal, he told the Russian nation, was the “demilitarisation and denazification” of Ukraine. He also pledged he had no plans to occupy Ukrainian land. At the same time, he warned there would be severe consequences for any country that intervened.
Yet he has no issue with soldiers from another nation intervening – on his side. As the clock counts down to 1,000 days of war, as many as 600,000 Russian soldiers may have been killed or wounded. On the Ukrainian side, about 80,000 soldiers have lost their lives.
Polish president Andrzej Duda said the missiles move could be a decisive moment in ending the war. Others see it as bolstering Kyiv’s hand before Donald Trump takes over. Without equitable negotiations, the journey into darkness can only deepen.
.
