War columnist and former officer Guillaume Ancel deciphers Joe Biden's long-awaited decision to authorize Ukraine to use long-range missiles on Russian territory, two months before the end of his mandate.
Published on 17/11/2024 21:36
Reading time: 2min
“Joe Biden plays us a poker game”analysis on franceinfo Guillaume Ancel, former army officer and war chronicler, after the announcement by the United States to authorize Ukraine to use long-range missiles in Russia, Sunday November 17. “It was unpredictable” he adds.
Guillaume Ancel recalls that the question has been dragging on for several months: “The Ukrainians demanded the possibility, to counter Russian attacks, of being able to strike on Russian territory the bases from which the missiles are sent which, like today, have devastated part of their infrastructure.” This Sunday, the Ukrainian energy network, already very fragile, faced one of the most significant attacks in recent months, strikes leaving at least 10 dead and around twenty injured across the country, according to the authorities. .
For Guillaume Ancel, “the wave of massive Russian attacks today against Ukraine has finally convinced the Americans” to make this decision because, “for reasons that we cannot explain, the Americans have always refused”so far. “For months now, everyone, including European allies, has been trying to taunt the United States to ensure that at least we do not prevent the Ukrainians from defending themselves on an equal footing with Russia.”insists Guillaume Ancel who repeats it: “For me, the only trigger for Joe Biden’s decision was this massive attack which we did not expect and which caused very great damage in Ukraine.”
However, this agreement comes “at a very surprising moment because Joe Biden is only in transition until the end of January, until the inauguration of Donald Trump”continues the former officer. “It would be interesting to know if he warned Donald Trump that he accepted this shift in American aid when Trump fully intends to stop the war as soon as he arrives.”
