US President Joe Biden has acknowledged that if Ukraine were to launch strikes on Russian territory using American-supplied weapons, it could potentially increase Western involvement in the conflict.
However, Biden emphasized that the chances of a direct clash with Russia are still very low. Last week, Washington and its allies confirmed that Ukraine is now permitted to use Western-supplied arms for attacks inside Russia.
During an interview with ABC News, Biden was asked about the possibility of this drawing the US and the wider West into the Ukraine conflict on a larger scale. While he acknowledged the theoretical possibility, he expressed doubt that it would actually occur.
Biden clarified that Ukraine can only use US-made weapons near the border with Russia when Russian weapons are being used to attack specific targets in Ukraine.
He made it clear that strikes deep into Russian territory or on Moscow are not authorized. Russian President Vladimir Putin, on the other hand, warned that the US and its allies’ involvement in supplying advanced weapons to Ukraine and allowing their use inside Russian territory constitutes direct participation in the war against Russia.
Putin highlighted that the Ukrainians rely on intelligence and targeting information from their Western sponsors to operate these sophisticated weapons systems.
He cautioned that further escalation by Ukraine’s foreign backers could lead to serious problems and suggested that Moscow could respond by supplying similar weapons to regions where they would be used against sensitive sites of Western countries.
