What a waste of time! Once again, Joe Biden ended up making the right decision, but with a delay that was dramatically detrimental to the Ukrainians, who have been bending for more than two and a half years under swarms of Russian missiles. Two months before the end of his mandate, the American president has just responded to a long-standing request from the Ukrainians: they finally have authorization to use long-range ATACMS missiles to strike key targets on Russian territory, in order to curb attacks by the Kremlin.
This new about-face responds to the internationalization of the conflict by the Kremlin: some 12,000 North Korean soldiers were sent alongside the Russians to repel the Ukrainian incursion into the Kursk region. The objective is to help kyiv retain this territory conquered in August, to approach possible negotiations with Moscow in a better position. The urgency is also dictated by the upcoming arrival at the White House of Donald Trump, whose intentions regarding support for Ukraine remain unclear.
Certainly, the Biden administration has provided Ukraine with considerable military aid since February 24, 2022 (over $56 billion). But by systematically delivering essential weapons late, Washington has never allowed the Ukrainians to fight on equal terms. While on the other side, taking advantage of these prevarications, Vladimir Putin continued to push his advantage, relentlessly bombing civilians.
His fear of starting a nuclear war
The caution of Joe Biden, a child of the Cold War, was dictated from the start by his fear of triggering a nuclear war between NATO and Russia. His first mistake was to assert from the start that the Americans would not intervene directly to defend Ukraine. He then systematically opposed the delivery of strategic weapons, before ending up giving in each time. Before long-range missiles, this was the case for Patriot air defense systems, heavy tanks or F-16 fighter planes.
The analogy with the American domestic situation is tempting. By withdrawing from the race for the White House in July, Joe Biden made the necessary decision, but so late that his replacement, Kamala Harris, had little chance of winning. When it comes to the Ukrainians, the question is no longer about winning, but about resisting. Let’s hope it’s not too late.