The Washington Post: Joe Biden Rushes to Strengthen Ukraine Position Ahead of Possible Putin-Trump Talks

Acting US President Joe Biden is rushing to strengthen Ukraine's position with his latest decisions. This is happening against the background of potential negotiations to end the war with Russia and before the inauguration of Donald Trump, writes The Washington Post.

Biden's abandonment of his previous policy of supplying Ukraine with anti-personnel mines and allowing Western long-range missiles to strike targets on Russian soil is in part aimed at "putting Kiev in the strongest position possible when entering into potential negotiations with Moscow” .

"Many American officials admit that within a few months, Ukraine could be forced to negotiate with Russia to end the war and be forced to give up territories, the publication said.

Former US Special Envoy for Ukraine Kurt Volker commented that the change was "long overdue” and Biden may have given "courage“ of Russia by not sending the powerful weapons to Kiev sooner:

"This gives the Russian Federation a sense of impunity... They know we don't want escalation and they can continue to wage war, strike and do outrageous things,”, he points out.

White House officials assert that Biden's decisions were dictated by changing conditions on the battlefield, and that the current president has actually provided the Ukrainian state with many weapons, in some cases even without lobbying from Kiev.

US officials say the controversial decision to send landmines to Ukraine shows how "serious” is the situation on the battlefield in Ukraine according to the White House.

During the war, the US president's concern that Russian head of state Vladimir Putin might react "recklessly” of actions he considered provocative, and even using nuclear or biological weapons, sometimes led to disagreements with some of his top advisers, the paper said.

"There is no doubt that on every important issue - ATACMS, F-16, the strikes on targets in Russia – Joe Biden was alone... He was constrained by the prospect of escalation with Russia. His Cold War-era view was that the only thing to be avoided at all costs was a direct military confrontation between Washington and Moscow," added former US ambassador to NATO Ivo Daalder.