President Joe Biden's commitment to supporting Russia's Ukraine suddenly collides with his desire to avoid a direct confrontation with Moscow, The Hill reported.
Reporting that the president accused top military and intelligence officials of leaking information about how U.S. intelligence helped Ukraine kill top Russian generals and sink a battleship highlights the administration’s tense and flawed messages.
The president was unhappy with the leaks. In his opinion, this was an exaggeration of our role, an inaccurate statement, as well as a downplaying of the role of Ukrainians, and he does not consider this constructive, said White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki.
Thomas Friedman, writing in The New York Times, reported that the president called the director of national intelligence, the director of the CIA, and the secretary of defense to warn them that such blank talk must stop immediately, before we inadvertently wage war on Russia.
The administration has long been taking steps to separate U.S. support for Ukraine from direct conflict with Moscow — even when the president himself oversteps the mark.
Biden has often gone beyond his official talking points, calling Russian President Vladimir Putin a war criminal who should relinquish power. But his staff quickly smoothed over those comments.
Ukraine's hawkish supporters, who criticize the United States for refraining from providing decisive and lethal military assistance, have supported the story that the United States is taking steps to avoid a direct conflict with Moscow.
But that stance is seen as increasingly untenable as the administration doubled down on its support, sending larger, longer-range weapons and asking Congress for an additional $33 billion in aid to Ukraine.
Administration officials have shifted their rhetoric to more actively support the goals declared by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that Russia should be pushed back to its positions before February 24.
The end state must be defined by the Ukrainians as a sovereign independent country, we will support this however they choose to do so, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said. The secretary also tried to clarify what Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin at the time had said that the US goal was to weaken Russia. This statement came to public attention as amplifying rhetoric against Moscow.
Blinken said it was important that the US strategy ensure in many ways that Russia does not have an effective means to re-invade Ukraine.
Foreign policy experts have said that the United States, being less cautious, risks getting involved in a protracted conflict with Moscow, which has nuclear weapons.
The risk of Putin using nuclear weapons in Ukraine exists but is low, at least for now, said Shannon Bugos, senior policy analyst at the Arms Control Association.
Bugos added that Russia has not moved its mobile intercontinental ballistic missiles, which would mean the Kremlin is preparing an immediate nuclear strike.
An important concern is whether the US and Russia can revive the strategic stability dialogue that is the basis for Washington and Moscow to communicate clearly to avoid a nuclear confrontation and to address arms control issues.
Bugos said the administration did not say what it would take to reopen those discussions.
