Following the collapse of Moscow’s northern front of Russia’s six-month-old invasion of Ukraine, the United States has responded by further intensifying its involvement in the war against Russia in Ukraine and preparations for war with China over Taiwan.
In the course of one week, Ukrainian forces advanced dozens of miles, capturing massive quantities of Russian weapons and ammunition, along with, according to Ukrainian officials, thousands of Russian soldiers.
On Thursday, the Biden administration announced an additional $600 million in weapons to Ukraine, adding to the more than $50 billion in armaments and other assistance that has been allocated to date.
The new arms shipment, the 21st such “drawdown” since the start of the war, includes ammunition for the HIMARS missile system, 36,000 rounds of 105mm artillery, counter-battery radar and a thousand precision-guided 155mm artillery rounds.
This adds to the tens of thousands of antitank missiles, hundreds of drones, 15 HIMARS missile launchers, and hundreds of vehicles, as well as the US’s most advanced anti-ship and anti-aircraft missiles, that have been delivered to date.
US Senators called for even more weapons to be provided to Ukraine, with US Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell demanding that the White House provide Ukraine with the long-range ATACMS missile capable of striking deep inside Russian territory.
“The Ukrainians need more weapons than what we’re giving them. They need to start getting them faster, and they need new capabilities like long-range ATACMS missiles, large drones and tanks,” McConnell said.
Senator Marco Rubio added, “I think the concern some would say is that the longer-range missiles could target deep inside of Russia and trigger a broader conflict. I’m not sure I’m as troubled by that.”
These demands for expanding the range of weapons delivered to Ukraine were accompanied by the most explicit declaration to date of US goals in the conflict.
“The momentum has really shifted in favour of Ukraine and they’re the ones that are literally calling the shots,” declared former US Army Europe Commander Ben Hodges.
He added that “we may be looking at the beginning of the collapse of the Russian Federation, adding, “ it’s a population that by and large is not truly let’s say ethnic Russian, I mean there’s 120 different ethnic groups out there…
“I think people out in Tuva and Siberia and Chechnya and others... may see opportunity… to to break away so… um i think that we... collectively the west need to be... thinking… about what are the implications for this?”
The statement by Hodges developed his declaration in April, in the aftermath of Russia’s retreat from Kiev and the allegations of Russian atrocities in Bucha, that the aim of the United States is “breaking the back of Russia’s ability to project power outside of Russia.”
As in April, the renewed escalation of US involvement in the war is accompanied by allegations that Russia systematically murdered civilians, this time in the outskirts of Izum.
These military moves have been accompanied by an escalation of the US-NATO economic war. On Friday, the German government took control of three refineries owned by Russian oil company Rosneft. “This is a far-reaching energy policy decision to protect our country,” German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said.
Alongside the escalation of the war with Russia, the US escalated its conflict with China in the wake of the Russian collapse.
On Wednesday, the Senate Foreign relations Committee voted to move forward the Taiwan Policy Act, a bill that would send $6.5 billion in weapons to Taiwan and effectively end the US’s One China Policy.
The Bill states that “Taiwan shall be treated as though it were designated a major non-NATO ally,” effectively implementing a military treaty with Taiwan, obliterating the US’s formal position that it has no diplomatic ties with Taiwan.
Critically, it replaces provisions that arms provided to Taiwan be used in a “defensive manner” with the declaration that the US will provide “arms conducive to deterring acts of aggression by the People’s Liberation Army,” raising the prospect that these weapons could be used in a “preemptive” conflict.
As the US escalated its involvement in the war against Russia and its conflict with China, Russian president Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping held their first in-person meeting since the start of the war at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit. The crisis triggered by Russia’s military debacle was on display.
“We highly appreciate the balanced position of our Chinese friends in connection with the Ukrainian crisis,” Putin said at the start of the meeting. “We understand your questions and concerns in this regard.”
Similar tensions were on display in Putin’s discussion with Indian President Narendra Modi. “I know that today’s era is not an era of war, and I have spoken to you on the phone about this,” Modi told Putin. “I know your position on the conflict in Ukraine, the concerns that you constantly express,” Putin said. “We will do everything to stop this as soon as possible.”
Despite the crisis triggered by the Russian military debacle, Russia and China are being objectively driven closer together by the escalating US war drive.
In a statement to the Financial Times, Alexander Gabuev, senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, commented “If Putin is that obsessed with Ukraine, what can [Xi] realistically do?” Gabuev said… “the departure of the Putin regime and the unlikely prospect of a pro-western government in Russia is a terrible nightmare for China.”
Emboldened by the Russian debacle in Northern Ukraine, the US is only escalating its preparations for a global military conflict that threatens all of humanity.