Joe Biden / Photo: The White House -Wikimedia Commons
A Facebook post states that the President of the United States, Biden, has allowed the Ukrainians to target Russia with American rockets, while support for that decision has been expressed by Germany’s Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs, Baerbock. However, the post also shares a link to an article on that topic, whose title leaves the false impression that Biden has decided to attack Russia, or rather, the US is waging a war against it
A Facebook post states the following:
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock expressed approval for the report that US President Joe Biden allows Ukraine to use long-range missiles against certain targets in Russia, writes the German agency dpa.
Annalena Baerbock did indeed express support for Joe Biden’s decision, but the post also shares a link to an article on that topic from a site (archive copy) and the title of the article gives the false impression that Biden has decided to attack Russia, or rather, the US is waging a war against it:
The head of German diplomacy supported Biden’s decision to attack Russia
No such news of that sort can be found on any credible or relevant media outlet, and if it were true, it would be a historical event that would echo through the whole world and in the United Nations especially, however, there is no such thing. It stands to reason, news in that direction has been stated by US journalist Tucker Carlson and the Norwegian analyst Glenn Diesen, however they are known to be pro-Russian propagandists (sources: here and here), so we do not take it into consideration.
To make matters more complex, the title of the article promises one thing, while the content itself comprises of something entirely different—it does not say that Biden has decided to attack Russia. The title, in fact, twists the news story that is cited, and regardless of whether it is a mistake, deliberate disinformation or clickbait, it certainly misleads the public.
To understand this better, let’s start from the very beginning. In 2014, Russia invaded Ukraine, that is, Crimea, after which a war in Donbas started. On the 24th of February 2022, it escalated into a full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine which was poorly armed, but that changed with the help of the United States. Thus, Ukraine was supplied with the rocket launcher HIMARS—June 2022, NASAMS—November 2022, and the Patriot—April 2023, as well as the ATACMS missiles—October 2023, the Abrams tank—September 2023, fighter aircraft F-16 in August of 2024 and others.
It was a risky move, since Russia is a nuclear power, so in order not to provoke it, the US imposed restrictions on the Ukrainians regarding the use of these weapons—they were not allowed to target within the internationally recognized borders of Russia, only within the Ukrainian territories that are occupied, while the weapons or ammunition were not as long-range at first.
After a long period of restraint, Biden granted the Ukrainians free use of those weapons. He is an outgoing president, so he wants to help Ukraine while he still can, since he will soon be replaced by Donald Trump, who has claimed he will cut US aid. His inauguration is on the 20th of January 2025.
The Russians consider Biden’s move an involvement of the United States in the war in Ukraine, and its attacks with American weapons as American attacks, which is unfounded. The US is not participating in the war, nor is there any indication that it will be doing so, while Russia is not a victim in this story. The US did not attack Russia, nor are there any indications that it will attack it. It was Russia that attacked Ukraine, so it is natural to help the attacked, which can target the aggressor’s territory.
We should also mention that according to the Russian constitution, the state also considers the Ukrainian territories it annexed, as its own. Ukrainians have long been targeting those areas with US weapons, so from Russia’s point of view, it has long been targeted with those weapons, therefore, it is not clear why it is making a drama out of it now and declaring it an attack by the United States.
If we accept that Russian logic, then Iran’s supply of Shahed ballistic missiles and drones to Russia, also represents an Iranian attack on Ukraine. In that direction, we could also blame Belarus, which was a springboard for the Russian aggression. Regarding North Korea, there are even serious indications that it is fighting on the Russian side.
Russia has been destroying Ukraine for a long time, in which North Korea, Belarus, and Iran are involved in one way or another, while the title of the article leaves the impression that Biden is the attacker, and Russia is the victim.
However, as we have already said, there is some truth in the post, as well as in the article it shares, so the general assessment would be that the post is partially untrue.
