Biden’s decision to permit Ukraine to use US weapons in strikes deeper into Russia has drawn criticism from Trump

Biden’s decision to allow Ukraine to launch more intense strikes into Russia has been referred to as “stupid and reckless” by US President-elect Donald Trump.

On Monday, Donald Trump, the next president, hinted that he would overrule Joe Biden’s decision to permit Ukrainian forces to deploy American long-range weaponry for attacks farther into Russian territory.

Trump denounced the action as “dumb” and bemoaned the lack of prior consultation with his new government.

By removing limitations on Ukraine’s use of the Army Tactical Missile System, Biden’s decision last month allowed for attacks on Russian targets hundreds of kilometers away from Ukraine’s borders.

During a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago club, Trump stated, “I don’t think that should have been allowed, not when there’s a possibility — certainly not just weeks before I take over.”

“Why didn’t they get my opinion before doing that? He shouldn’t have done it, in my opinion. I believe it was a major error.

Biden’s efforts to advocate for more aid to Ukraine in the latter weeks of his presidency in an effort to strengthen Ukraine’s defense against Russia’s invasion were criticized by Trump, as evidenced by his comments. With future help under the incoming government unknown, the Biden administration has worked to guarantee that current aid and weapons are delivered before Trump takes office on January 20.

Despite Biden’s efforts, Ukraine’s future use of US-provided military resources will ultimately depend on Trump’s influence.

When asked if he would think about overturning Biden’s choice, Trump said,

“I may. I believe it was a really foolish move.

The White House responded to Trump’s remarks by defending the ruling and pointing out that months of discussions that started before to the election led to it. John Kirby, a national security spokeswoman, said,

“We have explained to them why we were doing it, the reasoning behind it, and the reasoning behind it.”

There has long been concern about Trump’s relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump publicly urged Russia to make Hillary Clinton’s lost emails available during his 2016 campaign, and he later questioned US intelligence conclusions that Russia had meddled in the election to help him win. Trump has repeatedly lauded Putin, saying that his invasion of Ukraine was “pretty smart.”

JD Vance, the vice president-elect, has stated that he would rather take a less combative stance toward Russia, contending that viewing Moscow as an enemy is ineffective.

Trump referred to the current fighting as “carnage” and restated his demand that Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy engage in peace talks. He did concede, though, that the Russia-Ukraine war might be harder to end than other international conflicts, including those in the Middle East.

Trump refused to say if he has had any conversations with Putin since the election.

During Trump’s visit to Paris earlier this month to reopen the Notre Dame Cathedral, Zelenskyy met with the president-elect and actively lobbied him to continue US assistance for Ukraine.

As the nearly three-year conflict drags on, Ukrainian officials are still pushing for ongoing assistance, as both parties are looking for a tactical edge to bolster their stances in future peace talks.

US intelligence has disclosed that Russia may soon launch another intermediate-range ballistic missile on Ukraine, further complicating the situation. Concerns have been raised throughout NATO by this weapon, which was first used last month, just after Biden loosened limitations on Ukraine. Putin has issued a warning that NATO countries who have enabled Ukraine’s long-range missile attacks may be Russia’s next target.

After months of pressure from Zelenskyy and Western partners, who claimed that the prior US prohibition made it more difficult for Ukraine to defend against Russian strikes on its towns and infrastructure, Biden decided to relax the restrictions.

In the end, the outgoing president took action in response to worries that Russia had mobilized hundreds of North Korean troops to recapture territory in the area near the Kursk border that Ukraine had taken earlier this year.