Do you think it was a mistake for Biden to give Ukraine permission to fire US made missiles into Russia today?

I am no expert on what caveats go along with sales of weapons.

In that same vain, shouldn’t we care about gun manufacturers and what the end use of those guns are in mass shootings?

I personally care more about the weapons use within the US relative to mass shootings.

@Forever_Free Perhaps it’s possible to care about both things.

Apologies for my concern for gun issues in our own country seemingly muting this topic.
Yes, it was a mistake.

@Forever_Free No apologies needed for your concern about gun issues. I am concerned about those things as well. I was merely pointing out that it is possible to be concerned about several things at once, maybe more than several.

Mistake? He’s fighting a proxy war with Russia. Wrong, dangerous, and completely fucked up? Absolutely.

If the idea is to support Ukraine’s defence in order to force a quicker and more favourable negotiated settlement, then it’s a perfectly good idea.

Biden never seemed interested in a peace deal, and the strategy seemed to be to use Ukrainians as fodder to weaken Russia for as long as possible in a drawn out war of attrition.

With Trump’s ascendency, this “plan” may well be on its way out. This change in rules for Ukraine may just be a way of giving Ukraine more diplomatic leverage in case a push for a negotiated settlement does happen after Trump’s inauguration.

I don’t think it’ll make much or any difference really. The nuclear threats are almost certainly hollow. And fuck knows what Trump will do anyway.

I think Biden should have done much more at the very beginning. I can’t help but wonder back when Russia was lining up it’s military at the border saying “we aren’t going to do anything” if Biden could not have started to move troops and tell Putin, “you have time to save face and call Americans silly and over-reacting war mongers and turn your military around.”

I think Biden should have threatened Russia within an inch of it’s life not only from the US but hopefully other allies with us. As soon as Russia broke the line we should have given Ukraine offensive weapons and whatever else to show we are not kidding.

Now, I think Trump has already started talking to Russia and also the Israel situation too.

I figure there will be an Iran hostage release like event when Trump takes office. He’ll want the credit and let the people in the war situation continue to suffer the next several weeks. Makes me sick if I am correct.

So, I think I’m ok with Biden giving permission, but I’m really not sure, because if Putin is already talking to Trump I’m not sure if it changes anything and more people die in the meantime maybe. I don’t think Putin cares at all if his countrymen die fighting. Will it cause more of an uprising in Russia against the war? Doubtful. I just heard a famous Russian ballet dancer against the war was found dead having “fallen” off a building.

If Ukraine thinks it will be helpful, I’m willing to trust them.

I think it was a mistake to have waited this long. Biden should have given the OK a year ago.

This should have happened ages ago. The same was true with the previous general restrictions on using western weapons to strike targets inside Russia.
All these piece-meal and delayed authorisations and the slow trickling in of more advanced weapon systems like the F16 or western MBTs because of the fear that it might cross one of Putin’s “red lines”, and the extremely low and slow delivery of ammunition for those weapon systems, is one of the major reasons why Ukraine is struggling so much.

I don’t think it was a mistake. The mistakes have all been Putin’s going back to his decision to invade Ukraine in the first place to his decision to use North Korean cattle fodder to advance his ambitions. Putin has already begun praising Trump for his bravery. He knows how to manipulate people if nothing else.