According to sources in The New York Times, President Joe Biden’s administration is considering military aid to Ukraine to attack Russian-occupied Crimea. The issue has been discussed for months.
of The New York Times (you will switch to another service) sources say the US is considering helping Ukraine strike the Crimean peninsula. The information is based on interviews with several anonymous official sources.
Russia seized the Crimean peninsula from Ukraine in the spring of 2014. During the war of aggression it started in February, Russia has made devastating attacks from Crimea to Ukraine. There are tens of thousands of Russian soldiers and several bases in Crimea.
President Joe Biden the administration has not previously been ready to support Ukraine in the attack on Crimea. According to The New York Times, the position is about to change after months of negotiations with the Ukrainian authorities.
According to the United States and other Western countries, Crimea naturally belongs to Ukraine.
– We have said throughout the war that Ukraine has the right to defend its territories, the spokesperson of the US National Security Council Adrienne Watson says to The New York Times.
According to the newspaper, many military experts have questioned the benefits of striking Crimea and assessed that Ukraine has more important targets elsewhere on the front.
However, sources say the Biden administration now estimates that an attack on Crimea would show Ukraine is capable of threatening Russian control of the peninsula, and could improve Ukraine’s position in potential negotiations in the future.
Experts also estimate that the threat of a Russian retaliatory strike with a tactical nuclear weapon has decreased, although the risk still exists.
The United States has discussed providing weaponry for a possible strike. According to The New York Times, the talks have discussed Himars rocket launchers and Bradley assault tanks, which Ukraine could use to attack the bridge connecting Crimea and Russia.
However, the Biden administration would not yet be ready to provide the long-range missile systems that Ukraine would need to attack Russian targets in the Crimean peninsula.
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