Opinion

Russian gains push White House to revisit some red lines

To combat Russia’s advances in Ukraine, President Biden is considering two tough new countermeasures: punishing China for supplying key technology to Moscow and lifting limits on Ukrainian use of U.S. short-range weapons to attack inside Russia.

These moves would represent a significant escalation of Biden’s carefully calibrated policy of supporting Ukraine while seeking to avoid direct confrontation with Russian President Vladimir Putin or his key ally, China’s Xi Jinping. The fact that such moves are being considered now shows the administration’s growing concern about Ukraine’s vulnerability on the battlefield.