And of course, any artillery weapon near the border can strike “into Russia”—the intended meaning was deep into Russia.
President Joe Biden been known for his gaffes and slips of the tongue—generally breaches of decorum rather than substance. But in the realm of international politics and security, minor changes in wording can lead to substantively different interpretations. That was evident in a recent statement made by Biden asserting a U.S. commitment to defend Taiwan that his staff seemingly attempted to walk back—and late in May it appears to be tripping up his messaging regarding military assistance to Ukraine.
As Russian forces advance further into Ukraine’s Donbas region with the reported capture of most of the symbolically important city of Severodonetsk, speculation and controversy swirled around Biden’s statement Monday, “We’re not going to send to Ukraine rocket systems that can strike into Russia” in response to a journalist’s question.
That came after days of reports from prominent U.S. media his administration was preparing to authorize sending Multiple Rocket Launcher Systems (MRLSs) to Ukraine, which were urgently requested by Kyiv to counter Russian artillery.
President Joe Biden been known for his gaffes and slips of the tongue—generally breaches of decorum rather than substance. But in the realm of international politics and security, minor changes in wording can lead to substantively different interpretations. That was evident in a recent statement made by Biden asserting a U.S. commitment to defend Taiwan that his staff seemingly attempted to walk back—and late in May it appears to be tripping up his messaging regarding military assistance to Ukraine.
As Russian forces advance further into Ukraine’s Donbas region with the reported capture of most of the symbolically important city of Severodonetsk, speculation and controversy swirled around Biden’s statement Monday, “We’re not going to send to Ukraine rocket systems that can strike into Russia” in response to a journalist’s question.
That came after days of reports from prominent U.S. media his administration was preparing to authorize sending Multiple Rocket Launcher Systems (MRLSs) to Ukraine, which were urgently requested by Kyiv to counter Russian artillery.
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