Warnings: The US may end up in wars

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Joe Biden  

 

Biden warns that the US military could end up in direct combat with Russia  

 

Petter J Larsson  

 

Published 2023-12-30 23.08 

 

Friday's airstrikes on Ukraine were the largest since the war began.  

 

Now Joe Biden warns that the American military could be drawn into the war with Russia.  

 

- When dictators are allowed to run rampant freely in Europe, the risk of the US being pulled in increases, says the president. 

 

President Joe Biden warns that the United States could be drawn into a direct war with Russia if Vladimir Putin continues his invasion of Ukraine, writes Newsweek.  

 

Biden announced this in a statement after Russia's air attack over Ukraine on Friday morning. 

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           Rescue work in Kharkiv after yesterday's attacks. Photo: Yevhen Titov / AP

 

According to the Ukrainian military, the country was attacked by about 110 missiles, which, among other things, hit hospitals, apartment buildings and a shopping center. At least 31 Ukrainians died in the attacks and around 120 people were injured, Ukrainian officials said according to Reuters.  

 

- Overnight, Russia launched its largest air attack against Ukraine since the war began, Biden said in his statement. 

 

- It is a stark reminder to the world that after almost two years of this devastating war, Putin's goals remain unchanged. He is trying to wipe out Ukraine and subjugate its people. He must be stopped.  

 

          

         US President Joe Biden. Photo: Evan Vucci/AP  

 

Support is decreasing 

 

In February, the war has lasted two years and tensions between Russia and the NATO countries continue to rise. At the same time, support for Kiev has begun to wane from several quarters. Among other things, in the United States, where Republican lawmakers have blocked sending additional funding to Ukraine.  

 

In his statement, Biden said that a number of the Russian missiles and drones fired at Ukraine could be brought down thanks to the air defense systems provided by the United States. 

 

He added, however, that the United States will not be able to continue contributing resources to Ukraine unless congressional lawmakers take "urgent action in the new year."  

          Photo: Gavriil Grigorov / AP  

 

The president has previously warned the Republicans that reducing aid to Ukraine could pose a security threat to NATO – and thus to the United States.  

 

- The stakes in this fight extend far beyond Ukraine. They affect the entire NATO alliance, Europe's security and the future of the transatlantic relationship, Biden said in his statement. 

 

- When dictators and autocrats are allowed to run rampant freely in Europe, the risk of the US being pulled in directly increases. And these consequences reverberate throughout the world. We cannot let our allies and partners down. We cannot let Ukraine down. 

 

"No clear strategy" 

 

Biden has asked Congress to vote through an aid package worth $110 billion, which will go to Ukraine, Israel and other security needs. But the proposal has been rejected several times.  

 

The Speaker of the House of Representatives in the United States Congress, Republican Mike Johnson, said at a press conference the other week that the party's "hill to die on" in negotiations with Democrats on aid to Ukraine is to make changes in the United States' border policy in return. 

 

In a comment to Newsweek, Johnson says that since he was allowed to receive the speaker's baton, he repeatedly asked the White House for clarity in what strategy the United States should have to help Ukraine win the war.  

 

"What the Biden administration seems to be asking for is another billion dollars without proper oversight, no clear strategy to win, and none of the answers that I think the American people deserve," he says.