How Far Could Joe Biden Escalate the War in Ukraine?

Earlier this month, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appeared to back Donald Trump’s strategy for swiftly ending the Ukraine-Russia war, suggesting the next administration’s policies could lead to a quicker resolution.

"It is very important for us to have a just peace, so that we do not feel that we have lost the best for the sake of the injustice that has been imposed on you. The war will end, but there is no exact date. Of course, with the policies of this team, which will now lead the White House, the war will end sooner. This is their approach, their promise to their society, and for them it is also very important," Zelenskyy said.

Unfortunately, it looks like Joe Biden has other plans. He took a controversial step that many argue could escalate the war, not bring about its swift conclusion. As PJ Media previously reported, Biden has authorized Ukraine to use U.S.-supplied long-range missiles to strike targets inside Russia — a significant shift in U.S. policy so close to Biden leaving office.

Yet the stakes could grow even higher. Reports suggest Biden is considering arming Ukraine with nuclear weapons, a move that would raise the specter of a global nuclear conflict.

The New York Times has more.

Ukraine is losing territory in the east, and its forces in the Kursk region in western Russia have been partly pushed back as North Korean recruits join the fight.
Sagging morale among Ukrainian troops and uncertainty over Mr. Trump also continue to threaten their war effort.
The Ukrainian military is struggling to recruit soldiers and equip new units. The number of its soldiers killed in action, about 57,000, is half of Russia’s losses but significant for the much smaller country.U.S. spy agencies have assessed that speeding up the provisions of weapons, ammunition and matériel for Ukraine will do little to change the course of the war in the short term, according to American officials briefed on the intelligence.

According to the report, accelerating U.S. weapons shipments during the final months of the Biden administration could strengthen Ukraine’s position to enforce a cease-fire or armistice line in the event of a settlement.

The one gold-standard security guarantee that Ukraine wants is an invitation to join NATO. But it could not get that under Mr. Biden, and an invitation is unlikely during Mr. Trump’s presidency.
So U.S. and European officials are discussing deterrence as a possible security guarantee for Ukraine, such as stockpiling a conventional arsenal sufficient to strike a punishing blow if Russia violates a cease-fire.
Several officials even suggested that Mr. Biden could return nuclear weapons to Ukraine that were taken from it after the fall of the Soviet Union. That would be an instant and enormous deterrent. But such a step would be complicated and have serious implications.

Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin lowered the threshold for Russia's using nuclear weapons. According to the Associated Press, "The new doctrine allows for a potential nuclear response by Moscow even to a conventional attack on Russia by any nation that is supported by a nuclear power."

Does anyone else not trust Biden to be deliberately escalating the war before he leaves?