Biden Administration Ramps Up Support for Ukraine Amid Trump's 2nd Term

As further US support for Ukraine is up in the air after Trump’s reelection, the Biden administration seems to be doing all that it can by allowing Ukraine to strike Russia with long-range missiles. Being able to hit Russia with long-range weapons has been a request that the Ukrainians have been waiting for America to accept. During Biden’s visit to Manaus, Brazil, The United States finally granted Ukraine to use long-range weapons in Russia. This development will certainly provoke a Russian response. Will the Ukrainians be able to use these weapons without triggering a promised nuclear response from Russia? With one of Ukraine’s points on their recently released five-pronged victory plan already being completed, the dynamic of the conflict has changed drastically.

With the development of Ukraine being able to strike into core Russian territory, the nature of the war has changed. At the start of the war, it seemed it would be a swift Russian victory with the Ukrainian military on the defense. Now, Ukraine has permission from Washington D.C. to go on the offense. The Ukrainian government has expressed that not being able to use long-range missiles in Russian territory has been “holding back” Ukraine. The long-range missiles are called ATACMS (attack-ems). According to Lockheed Martin (major US defense manufacturer), ATACMS is, “The Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) is a conventional surface-to-surface artillery weapon system capable of striking targets well beyond the range of existing Army cannons, rockets and other missiles. ATACMS missiles are fired from the HIMARS and MLRS M270 platforms.” (lockheedmartin.com). These weapons provided to Ukraine have a range of up to 300 Kilometers or 186 miles. ATACMS can carry two distinct types of warheads, a singular warhead, or a cluster-fitted warhead that bursts into many smaller bombs. On November 19, 2024, Ukraine used ATACMS on Russian territory for the first time only exactly one day after being issued clearance for long-ranged strikes into Russia. This attack took place in the Bryansk region which is not quite far from the Russian border. As former President Trump’s inauguration is looming, only expect an influx of Ukrainian strikes in Russian territory to increase as Trump may have a different outlook on the matter.

With the use of long-range weapons by Ukraine in Russia, the Ukrainians must tread carefully not to poke the bear and to avoid provoking a Russian nuclear response. Although, from the start of the conflict, many of Russia’s threats have not been backed up, the potential use of nuclear weapons is not something to take lightly. According to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Russia has made changes to its nuclear doctrine, “The doctrine now says an attack from a non-nuclear state, if backed by a nuclear power, will be treated as a joint assault on Russia.” (BBC). As Ukraine keeps receiving copious amounts of military aid from foreign powers such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and France, Russia may see itself back into a corner with no other option but to use nuclear weapons to prevent a humiliating loss. Hopefully, Russian threats continue to remain empty as a nuclear retaliation would cause a significant loss of life.

In conclusion, the conflict between Russia and Ukraine is a subject that is rapidly developing and will change significantly once Trump returns to office. With the Biden administration wrapping up, and the Trump administration looming, expect Ukraine to frequently deploy long-range weapons in Russia as policy regarding Kyiv may come to a swift change.