G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro

U.S. President Joe Biden prepares for a group picture at the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro. | Pilar Olivares

Jason MoorePalma 22/11/2024 09:59
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Daddy, is there going to be a World War 3, my rather worried 12-year-old daughter shouted out to me from her bedroom on Wednesday night. The question rather shocked me but I did my best to reassure her that all was well. But it stuck in my mind and got me thinking that I hope that Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden are well aware that the stakes are very high and their actions are even causing concern among children on a far-away island in the Mediterranean Sea.

Allowing Ukraine to use Western-supplied long range missiles to target Russia was a rather hostile act by an outgoing U.S. president, adding fuel to the fire as he spends his final days in the White House. Why now and not before? Why did Biden wait until he has one foot out of the door to allow Ukraine to use long-range missiles which can penetrate deep into the Russian homeland? The last act of a poor president who believes that the in-coming Donald Trump will not be so supportive of the war in Ukraine?

Biden and his Democrat Party were well and truly beaten and it would have been better to leave controversial decisions until the new president takes office. After all, he is just keeping the chair warm until January. Rather than trying to pacify the situation there has been an escalation which has put the West on an even more dangerous road in relations with the Russians.