In a dramatic escalation of military support, US President Joe Biden has greenlit the provision of antipersonnel land mines to Ukraine, marking a significant shift in the Biden administration’s arms policy. This controversial decision comes on the heels of Ukraine’s recent use of ATACMS missiles to strike deep into Russian territory, a move that has heightened tensions in the ongoing conflict. The land mines, which are intended for use within Ukraine’s borders, are designed to stall the advancing Russian forces, according to anonymous US officials.
These „non-persistent“ land mines require a battery to detonate and are engineered to deactivate after a set period, minimizing the risk to civilians—a concern that had previously made Biden hesitant to approve such weaponry. However, the urgency of the situation, with Russian ground forces making significant gains, has prompted this policy reversal. The decision has drawn criticism from antimine campaigners who argue that the dangers to civilian populations remain unacceptably high.
Escalating Tensions
As Ukraine prepares to deploy these new weapons, Moscow has issued stern warnings. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov condemned the missile strikes as evidence of Western nations‘ desire to escalate the conflict, declaring it a „qualitatively new phase“ of the war. In a chilling response, Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree that lowers the threshold for nuclear weapon use, a move condemned by the US, UK, and EU as „irresponsible.“ Meanwhile, the Kremlin revealed that a critical communications hotline established decades ago to prevent nuclear conflict is currently inactive, further intensifying fears of miscalculation amidst rising hostilities.
With the stakes higher than ever, the world watches closely as Ukraine receives this controversial military aid, and both sides brace for the potential fallout of an increasingly volatile situation.