Vladimir Putin suggests Russia will give weapons to America's enemies in response to Biden allowing Ukraine to use US weapons to strike Russia.

 

Russian President Vladimir Putin. AP.

Russian President Vladimir Putin suggests Russia will give weapons to US enemies in response to Biden allowing Ukraine to use US weapons to strike Russia. AP. Putin made the comments to a press conference to international journalists. Putin said recent strikes near Kharkov were launched by NATO troops in Ukraine, which the west denies, and would result in an "asymmetrical" response. Putin also said that nuclear weapons could be used in the conflict if Russian territory or sovereignty were to be threatened. Putin also commented on the American election, saying that Biden was using the legal system to solve a political dispute with Trump, but said little would change regardless of who won in 2024. Putin also blamed Biden for not ending the war. 

My Comment;

An interesting press conference from Putin and one that should give the American government pause, though we know it won't have an effect. I knew there was going to be blowback from the idiotic decision to allow Ukraine to strike into Russia. And like I predicted, Russia is no longer going along with the lie that NATO troops aren't active participants in the war in Ukraine. 

I wouldn't take these as idle threats either, there is a lot that Russia can do to make America miserable that they have not been doing so far. Sending weapons to US enemies is an easy option and one that I am surprised that Russia hasn't already done it. 

The most obvious candidate is the Houthi Rebels in Yemen. They have been attacking US ships and international shipping for awhile now, but they have had to rely on Iran supplying them weapons. They aren't getting the best weapons available but that could change in a real hurry if Russia decides to give them weapons. So far Yemen has been an annoyance but if the Houthis get some more powerful weapons we could see more shipping hit and possibly even US ships being destroyed. And it would make things a lot harder for US attacks on the Houthis if Yemen had more advanced air defenses from Russia. 

The Houthis aren't the only option of course. Russia could also give weapons and support to the various Iranian proxies operating in the Middle East. Again, these folks have mostly been an annoyance but if they had Russian weapons they could actually pose a threat. 

I also wouldn't discount Putin's threat to use nuclear weapons. These would most likely be tactical nukes used on the battlefield. I have said in the past that it wouldn't make a whole lot of sense to use these weapons in Ukraine for Russia since they are already winning. But if the Biden administration continues to escalate they might be on the table. Ukraine will use US weapons to kill Russian soldiers and civilians so it might be justified. 

I do think that Putin is wrong about nothing changing if Trump gets elected. Trump is a lot more skeptical of the war in Ukraine and is a lot more likely to cut off Ukraine if it's absolutely clear that Russia is going to win. Trump also sees himself as a dealmaker and he is also anti-war. Biden on the other hand is a huge warmonger and is also very bad at deal making. He's very likely to fail and fail badly if given a second term. Indeed, relations with Russia improved a bit with Trump in office while Biden is responsible for the war in the first place. 

Regardless, it is still baffling to me that Biden and his NATO cronies haven't cut and run from Ukraine. It's clear they aren't going to win so the only thing I can think of is that they are trying to keep Ukraine propped up until after the election. Given the election is roughly six months away, it's possible that will work but given the amount of blowback he is getting I am guessing it will backfire on him horribly...