Biden declined Zelensky’s request for strikes deep into Russia – The Washington Post

U.S. President Joe Biden avoided President Zelensky’s request to use American missiles for strikes deep into Russia because the risk of escalating the conflict is real.

This opinion was expressed by writer and “The Washington Post” columnist David Ignatius in his column titled “Don’t underestimate the risk of escalation over Ukraine.”

Ignatius writes that Biden “doesn’t want to risk Russian retaliation,” and criticism against Biden on this issue is “too superficial.”

“We shouldn’t want a hothead in the White House. By avoiding the risk of escalation, Biden is following the advice of his intelligence advisors and fulfilling any president’s duty to reduce the threat of nuclear war,” he writes.

Ignatius offers a pessimistic assessment of the situation in Ukraine.

“My visit to Kyiv this month left me worried that a worn-out Ukraine is beginning to buckle under the weight of this horrific confrontation. Zelensky’s political base is fractured, and a prolonged war of attrition will destroy Ukraine,” he believes.

According to the author, the White House should provide other forms of assistance to Kyiv, but “long-range missile strikes are a red line.”

“U.S. intelligence officials have informed Biden that there’s a real risk of escalation, according to a well-informed American official,” Ignatius explains.

“What will Putin do if Biden decides to authorize deeper strikes using ATACMS? Analysts believe Russia could arm adversaries who are already attacking the U.S., such as Yemen’s Houthis. Another potential escalation could be Russia striking Polish transit hubs used for supplying American weapons to Ukraine,” the publication states.

“Reading the news, one can imagine other dangers. U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell noted this month that Russia is sharing highly sensitive submarine technologies with China,” the author adds.

Ignatius writes that “the conflict in Ukraine is probably as close as we’ve ever come to the brink of a total superpower war since the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962.”

“When on the brink of war, Kennedy stepped back and began developing a path to compromise with Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev,” the author writes.

In his view, in the current situation, “we are all very lucky” that Biden “is not playing a reckless game.”