The Biden administration is contemplating the idea that Kyiv needs the ability to attack the 2014-annexed Ukrainian peninsula.
WASHINGTON — The United States has maintained for years that Crimea is still a part of Ukraine. Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Biden administration has maintained a hard line, refusing to equip Kyiv with the weapons it needs to attack the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia has been exploiting as a launchpad for catastrophic strikes.
This line is now beginning to soften.
After months of discussions with Ukrainian officials, the Biden administration is finally beginning to concede that Kyiv may need the ability to strike the Russian sanctuary, even if such a move increases the risk of escalation, according to U.S. officials who spoke anonymously to discuss the sensitive debate. Crimea, situated between the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, is the location of tens of thousands of entrenched Russian troops and multiple Russian military outposts.
White House officials claim that their attitude has not changed. According to them, Crimea belongs to Ukraine.
National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson stated, “Throughout the battle, we have maintained that Crimea is part of Ukraine and that Ukraine has the right to defend its sovereign territory within its internationally recognised borders.”
Officials from the military and government have privately questioned the effectiveness of Ukraine’s attacks on Crimea, claiming that the Ukrainian military had better targets elsewhere on the battlefield.
The Biden administration has come to feel, however, that if the Ukrainian military can demonstrate that Russia’s rule over Crimea can be challenged, this will improve Kyiv’s position in any future negotiations. In addition, fears that the Kremlin will retaliate with a tactical nuclear bomb have diminished, according to U.S. officials and analysts, though the possibility still exists.
