In a column written a week ago, national security analyst Bob Maginnis pointed to an exclusive Politico story about escalation. It reported President Biden has secretly given Ukraine permission to use U.S.-made artillery that can strike military targets inside Russia’s borders, such as infantry troops and air force bombers.
The decision makes sense from a strategic move, since Ukraine was unable to strike Russian troops and armor that were massing untouched on its border near the city of Kharkiv.
Politico, a liberal news outlet, nonetheless called the new policy a “major reversal” and a “stunning shift” after the Biden administration has publicly acknowledged doing so would escalate the war.
After the U.S. announcement, Germany has told Ukraine it can use German-made long-range weapons to attack Russia troops just over the border, too.
In a previous Politico story about the Russia-Ukraine war, from late April, the news outlet revealed the Pentagon is planning to send “up to 60” U.S. troops to Ukraine in non-combat roles. An unnamed source in the story said U.S. troops in Ukraine are "onesies and twosies."
France is expected to send non-combat troops to Ukraine any day now, too, which comes after French President Emmanuel Macron urged NATO back in February to consider sending troops.
In his column, Maginnis said permission to lob U.S.-made rockets into Russia will only “marginally improve” Ukraine’s fight against Russia but it will “inch the U.S. and by association the entire North Atlantic Treaty Organization ever closer to direct involvement in that war.”
Maginnis, a retired U.S. army colonel, compares NATO’s aggression toward Russia to kicking a mean dog that bites back.
“Eventually, the critter is going to snap and bite hard,” he wrote a week ago. “That’s the situation we face in Ukraine today.”
Putin reminds NATO of nuke doctrine
This week, that “mean dog” Vladimir Putin responded to the use of U.S.-made weapons on Russian territory by suggesting Russia can supply weapons to its allies, too. At a press conference with foreign media, Putin asked why Russia cannot supply weapons to its allies around the world, too.
“Ultimately, if we see that these countries are being drawn into a war against us, and this is their direct participation in the war against the Russian Federation, then we reserve the right to act in a similar way,” he said. “But, in general, this is the path to very serious problems.”
In a question about the use of nuclear weapons, Putin said he believes NATO is convinced Russia will not use nuclear weapons on the battlefield. He reminded the audience to study Russia’s military doctrine.
The public may not know what Putin was referring to but NATO leaders do: Russia views a tactical nuclear weapon as an acceptable battlefield weapon, especially if NATO is winning on the front lines.
“For some reason, they believe in the West that Russia will never use it,” Putin replied. “Look at what is written there. If somebody’s actions threaten our sovereignty and territorial integrity, we consider it possible to use all means at our disposal.”
Maginnis tells AFN war drums are beating across the globe in Europe, the Middle East, and the South China sea. Military spending jumped dramatically in 2023, he said, for the first time since 2009.
“Nations across the world are buying arms like never before anticipating the unthinkable: World War III,” Maginnis warns.
