WASHINGTON, November 21. /TASS/. US President Joe Biden’s approval of using US-made weapons for strikes deep inside Russia may backfire, retired US Army Lt. Col. Daniel Davis said in a commentary for The National Interest magazine.
According to him, Biden’s decision on ATACMS may "blow up in America’s face," because Washington "is risking an expansion of the war, potentially drawing the United States into direct conflict with Russia." "Russia has been unambiguous in its declarations that the introduction of US or Western long-range missiles into the war against Russia would represent the direct engagement of the West against Russia and force a ‘response,’" the analyst noted.
In his opinion, authorizing US long-range weapons to be used against Russia is "foolhardy to the highest order," "especially because there is no military upside for doing so." "Biden’s staunchest supporters should urgently call for him to stop this inflammatory drive before it's too late," the expert concluded.
The New York Times reported on November 17, citing sources, that Biden had authorized the use of US-supplied ATACMS tactical ballistic missiles for strikes inside Russia. Publicly, the US administration has neither confirmed nor denied this information. Top EU diplomat Josep Borrell stated that some EU countries have also allowed to use their weapons for strikes deep into Russia.
Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the revised nuclear doctrine provides for a nuclear response if Ukraine uses Western non-nuclear missiles against Russia. Earlier, the Kremlin official emphasized that the West’s decision to use long-range missiles marked "a qualitatively new phase" of tensions.