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Biden Letting Ukraine Strike Russia Risks Moving From Proxy to Real War - Ex-US Diplomat

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - President Joe Biden authorizing Kiev to fire US weapons into parts of Russia coupled with belligerent moves by other Western nations risks turning the Ukraine conflict from proxy war to real war, former US diplomat and State Department consultant on US-Russia relations James Carden told Sputnik.
Sputnik
In a major policy shift, Biden authorized the use of US weapons against military installations in Russia. A State Department spokesperson insisted that the authorization was limited to what they called "counter-fire purposes" in Kharkov (also known as Kharkiv) region. The US has not authorized the use of long-range missiles, including ATACMS, inside Russia, the spokesperson told Sputnik.
"Will it lead to escalation? Hopefully not, but it clearly opens the door -- this, combined with Macron's push to send trainers, may move us from 'proxy' war to 'real' war," Carden said.
In only the last few days, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov have issued twin warnings against enabling Ukraine to strike inside Russia.
"But, worryingly, our elites in the West have developed a bad habit of not listening," Carden observed. "Time will tell but this is a startling development indeed."
Attempts to strike Russia with US weapons are already being made, and it eloquently attests to the extent of the US involvement in the Ukraine conflict, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
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