Trump's pick for security chief criticizes Biden's Ukraine missile 'escalation'
According to Mike Waltz, permitting Kiev to utilize long-range weapons supplied by the US is intensifying the conflict that Donald Trump is seeking to resolve. Read Full Article at RT.com.
TroibNews 
This isn’t helping the US president-elect end the conflict, Mike Waltz has said
Allowing Kiev to use US-supplied long-range weapons against Russia will only escalate the conflict that President-elect Donald Trump is trying to end, according to incoming White House national security adviser Mike Waltz.
The New York Times reported that US President Joe Biden had permitted Ukraine to use ATACMS missiles against Russian territory, although Washington has neither confirmed nor denied this claim sourced anonymously.
Waltz, a former Green Beret and Florida congressman selected by Trump as his top adviser, stated in a Fox News interview that he was not briefed on this decision by the outgoing administration, which would have been customary.
“It’s another step up the escalation ladder,” Waltz said during the conversation with host Brian Kilmeade. “And nobody knows where this is going. North Korea is unleashing ballistic missiles, artillery, now tens of thousands of soldiers. The administration responds by lifting this restriction. North Korea sends more soldiers. South Korea is now saying it may get engaged…”
Ukraine has accused North Korea of sending weapons and thousands of troops to support Russia, a claim that Washington has taken seriously.
“So this is a development, but it’s a tactical one,” Waltz added. “President Trump is talking grand strategy here. How do we get both sides to the table to end this war? What’s the framework for a deal, and who’s sitting at that table?”
Trump is assembling an “all-star team” to address broader strategic concerns and explore how to “drive this war to an end,” according to Waltz.
The Republican president-elect, who campaigned on a platform of ending the Russia-Ukraine conflict, intends to seek a resolution even before his inauguration on January 20. Many of his supporters have criticized the rumored move by outgoing President Biden as a means of complicating any potential peace deal.
Under Biden, the US has sent over $64 billion worth of weapons, ammunition, and equipment to support Vladimir Zelensky’s efforts against Russia. Washington had previously imposed certain restrictions on the use of these weapons to maintain a level of plausible deniability regarding its involvement in the conflict. Zelensky has been pressing for an end to these limitations, labeling it part of his “victory plan.”
Moscow has frequently cautioned the US and its allies that such actions would signify their overt engagement in the hostilities. Russian President Vladimir Putin has remarked that Kiev lacks the capacity to deploy long-range missiles without NATO support for targeting and firing solutions, emphasizing that this is not merely a matter of the US "giving permission" to Ukraine but crossing into direct involvement.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova noted that even though reports of Biden’s decision are still unverified, if Ukraine were to use US missiles in that manner, Moscow’s response would be “adequate and tangible.”
Rohan Mehta for TROIB News
Allowing Kiev to use US-supplied long-range weapons against Russia will only escalate the conflict that President-elect Donald Trump is trying to end, according to incoming White House national security adviser Mike Waltz.
The New York Times reported that US President Joe Biden had permitted Ukraine to use ATACMS missiles against Russian territory, although Washington has neither confirmed nor denied this claim sourced anonymously.
Waltz, a former Green Beret and Florida congressman selected by Trump as his top adviser, stated in a Fox News interview that he was not briefed on this decision by the outgoing administration, which would have been customary.
“It’s another step up the escalation ladder,” Waltz said during the conversation with host Brian Kilmeade. “And nobody knows where this is going. North Korea is unleashing ballistic missiles, artillery, now tens of thousands of soldiers. The administration responds by lifting this restriction. North Korea sends more soldiers. South Korea is now saying it may get engaged…”
Ukraine has accused North Korea of sending weapons and thousands of troops to support Russia, a claim that Washington has taken seriously.
“So this is a development, but it’s a tactical one,” Waltz added. “President Trump is talking grand strategy here. How do we get both sides to the table to end this war? What’s the framework for a deal, and who’s sitting at that table?”
Trump is assembling an “all-star team” to address broader strategic concerns and explore how to “drive this war to an end,” according to Waltz.
The Republican president-elect, who campaigned on a platform of ending the Russia-Ukraine conflict, intends to seek a resolution even before his inauguration on January 20. Many of his supporters have criticized the rumored move by outgoing President Biden as a means of complicating any potential peace deal.
Under Biden, the US has sent over $64 billion worth of weapons, ammunition, and equipment to support Vladimir Zelensky’s efforts against Russia. Washington had previously imposed certain restrictions on the use of these weapons to maintain a level of plausible deniability regarding its involvement in the conflict. Zelensky has been pressing for an end to these limitations, labeling it part of his “victory plan.”
Moscow has frequently cautioned the US and its allies that such actions would signify their overt engagement in the hostilities. Russian President Vladimir Putin has remarked that Kiev lacks the capacity to deploy long-range missiles without NATO support for targeting and firing solutions, emphasizing that this is not merely a matter of the US "giving permission" to Ukraine but crossing into direct involvement.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova noted that even though reports of Biden’s decision are still unverified, if Ukraine were to use US missiles in that manner, Moscow’s response would be “adequate and tangible.”
Rohan Mehta for TROIB News
