Biden Is Still Worried About Poking the Russian Bear

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine is more than 100 days old, and despite providing enough U.S. military aid during that time to nearly double Kyiv’s defense budget, the Biden administration remains concerned about provoking Russia into a wider war, a stance that has frustrated many in Washington and Eastern Europe. 

Even after U.S. President Joe Biden signed off on providing the long-range High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) to Ukraine last week, the U.S. administration faced criticism from NATO allies and Capitol Hill that the aid was too little, too late. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had been publicly beseeching Biden to send longer-range munitions, both publicly and privately, for almost two months. 

It’s a back-and-forth debate within the administration that has come to characterize U.S. military aid deliveries to Ukraine for more than a year. Defenders of the Biden administration’s caution believe it is a prudent approach to dealing with the wounded but still nuclear-armed Russian bear that could lash out and widen the conflict. And Russia could still frustrate U.S. aims in a number of arenas, from the Iran nuclear deal to accords over OPEC oil production or even cyberspace.