Russian lawmakers and officials are now responding to the news that Joe Biden, who will remain president until January, authorized the use of long-range U.S. missiles supplied to the Ukrainians for strikes inside Russia, a major nuclear power,
Vladimir Dzhabarov, first deputy head of the Russian upper house’s international affairs committee, spoke to Tass news agency, saying: “This is a very big step towards the start of world war three.”
“The West has decided on such a level of escalation that it could end with the Ukrainian statehood in complete ruins by morning,” wrote Andrei Klishas, a senior member of the Federation Council, Russia’s upper chamber of parliament, on the Telegram messaging app.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appears to be celebrating the news and has issued new threats to Russia.
“Today, there’s a lot of talk in the media about us receiving permission for respective actions. But strikes are not carried out with words. Such things are not announced. Missiles will speak for themselves. They certainly will,” Zelensky said.
Although many pro-Ukrainian voices are supporting the decision, the fact that it was made shortly before Trump became president is raising concerns that it was made against the will of the American people, who voted for a pro-peace candidate.
“It seems that the military-industrial complex wants to make sure they would start World War III before my father had a chance to make peace and save lives. Those billions of dollars must be frozen,” wrote Trump Jr. on X.
Meanwhile, the former Director of National Intelligence, Richard Grenell, said: “No one anticipated that Joe Biden would ESCALATE the war in Ukraine during the transition period. This is as if he is launching a whole new war. Everything has changed now — all previous calculations are null and void. And all for politics.”
No one anticipated that Joe Biden would ESCALATE the war in Ukraine during the transition period.
This is as if he is launching a whole new war.
Everything has changed now – all previous calculations are null and void. And all for politics. https://t.co/7ktLb5jpO7
— Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) November 17, 2024In the wake of Biden’s decision, other Western countries have also approved the use of long-range missiles against Russia. There are now worries that the decision could spark a chain reaction that could lead to the use of nuclear weapons.
