President Biden’s decision to allow Ukraine to fire U.S.-provided weapons into Russia was not complicated, according to National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan.
Mr. Sullivan said Sunday that Mr. Biden viewed the approval as a “common sense” decision, despite concerns of retaliation.
“What was happening up around Kharkiv, which was new just in the last couple of months, was a Russian offensive where they were moving from one side of the border directly to the other side of the border, and it simply didn’t make sense not to allow the Ukrainians to fire across that border, to hit Russian guns and emplacements that were firing at the Ukrainians,” Mr. Sullivan told CBS’ “Face The Nation.” “So the president authorized that.”
The momentum of Russia’s operation in Kharkiv has stalled, according to Mr. Sullivan, but the area remains under threat.
Tension between Russia and the U.S. has escalated since Mr. Biden gave Ukraine the go-ahead.
Russian President Vladimir Putin warned Wednesday that Russia could provide weapons to Western adversaries in response to NATO allies allowing Ukraine to use their weaponry to attack Russian territory.
Four Russian warships are set to arrive in Havana, Cuba, this week, according to the Associated Press.
Cuban officials said Thursday that the warships, which include a nuclear-powered submarine, will not carry nuclear weapons and do “not represent a threat to the region.”
The warships’ maneuvers do not appear to have caught Washington by surprise either. Before the Cuban officials’ announcement, U.S. officials said they were tracking Russian warships expected to arrive in the Caribbean for a military exercise.
Growing nuclear threats from Russia, China and others are prompting the U.S. to consider amassing more nuclear weapons, according to Pranay Vaddi, top arms control official at the White House National Security Council.
“Absent a change in the trajectory of adversary arsenals, we may reach a point in the coming years where an increase from current deployed numbers is required and we need to be fully prepared to execute if the president makes that decision,” Mr. Vaddi told the Arms Contol Association on Friday.
Mr. Vaddi added, “If that day does come, it will result from a determination that more nuclear weapons are required to deter our adversaries and protect the American people and our allies and partners.”
The U.S. is standing steadfast in its assistance of Ukraine on the battlefield.
“The United States will continue to support Ukraine in holding the line and pushing back against the aggressing Russian forces,” Mr. Sullivan said on CBS.
• This article is based in part on wire service reports.
• Ryan Lovelace can be reached at rlovelace@washingtontimes.com.