Biden’s Caution: A Cowardly Gift to Putin’s War Machine

 

Biden's caution is nothing more than a gift-wrapped invitation for Putin to escalate violence with no fear of consequences. Simply put, denying Ukraine the tools to strike inside Russia makes the U.S. not a defender of democracy, but a passive enabler of tyranny.

Joe Biden’s missile policy is like a cat playing with a mouse—it allows the mouse just enough freedom to scamper, but not enough to escape. In this deadly game between Russia and Ukraine, President Biden’s caution rewards Vladimir Putin’s recklessness. By limiting Ukraine to survive without giving them the power to strike deep into Russia, Biden is offering the Kremlin a lifeline, ensuring Putin can keep pushing his aggressive war strategy. The West needs to stop pretending this is a chess match; Putin has flipped the board over and is playing by his own set of rules.

For nearly two years now, Putin has rained bombs and missiles on Ukraine, striking civilian infrastructure, hospitals, and schools. His forces seem committed to breaking the Ukrainian spirit. But Ukraine, led by its resilient president, Volodymyr Zelensky, has stood strong, thanks in large part to the more than $200 billion in Western military aid and cash. Despite these resources, Ukraine’s front-line commanders remain frustrated. They receive just enough weapons to survive Putin’s assaults but not enough to decisively end the war. “They give us enough to survive, but not enough to win,” a Ukrainian commander remarked earlier this year.

This "just enough to survive" approach has become a dangerous mantra for the West, especially for the United States. It's a strategy that seems more focused on containing the war within Ukrainian borders than winning it. Every time Zelensky asks for more advanced weapons—first tanks, then missiles, then anti-missile batteries, and now fighter jets—he faces resistance from the West, particularly from the United States. The most recent example of this hesitation is President Biden's refusal to give Ukraine long-range ATACMS missiles that could strike military targets deep within Russia. Britain and France, in contrast, have already allowed Ukraine to use their Storm Shadow and SCALP missiles for such purposes, but these are still subject to an American veto because they rely on U.S. technology.

Biden’s reluctance stems from a fear of escalating the conflict into something much larger. Putin has cleverly manipulated this fear by warning that if American missiles hit Russian soil, it would be like NATO directly joining the war. He’s even threatened severe consequences, perhaps targeting Western interests elsewhere, such as arming Iran or the Houthis. But let’s be real—Russia is already doing its worst in Ukraine. It has pulled out every possible tactic except for nuclear strikes. Giving in to Putin’s threats would only encourage him to push further, testing the limits of the West’s patience and resolve. It’s like giving a bully your lunch money every day while hoping he’ll stop asking. Spoiler alert: He won’t.

Ukraine has requested American ATACMS missiles, which have a range of up to 300 kilometers, longer than the European-supplied Storm Shadow missiles. These missiles could hit key Russian military targets, such as arms depots and fuel centers, which are currently out of reach. Yet Biden continues to say no. One excuse is that Russian planes launching devastating “glide bombs” have moved back out of ATACMS range. While this is true, it misses the point. There are plenty of other critical Russian military targets within that 300-kilometer range. Biden’s argument that these missiles are in short supply holds more weight for the European missiles, but ATACMS are available in greater quantities.

By withholding these weapons, Biden is not just showing caution; he's rewarding Putin’s recklessness. He is sending a clear message: Putin can wage war with impunity because the West won’t escalate. This emboldens Putin to think he can outlast Ukraine and the West, playing a waiting game as the Western alliance frays at the edges. And indeed, Biden’s caution has rubbed off on Germany, where Chancellor Olaf Scholz has been even more reluctant to arm Ukraine fully. Germany, for instance, has refused to provide its powerful Taurus missiles. This division between NATO allies makes the West appear weak and indecisive—exactly the image Putin wants to project to the world.

Historically, appeasement has always been a dangerous game. The West tried to placate Hitler in the 1930s, hoping he would stop after the annexation of certain territories. We all know how that turned out. Today, Biden’s refusal to arm Ukraine fully is akin to that same strategy of appeasement. The argument that giving Ukraine long-range missiles would escalate the war and lead to unpredictable consequences is deeply flawed. The reality is that the war is already at a critical juncture, and failing to act now will only make things worse in the long run. Putin is already destabilizing Europe, and if the West continues to hold back, it won’t be long before other countries, seeing the success of his aggression, start to act similarly.

Moreover, allowing Ukraine to strike military targets deep inside Russia would not be some wild, out-of-bounds escalation. Ukraine has consistently proposed a proportionate, legal response to Russia’s illegal attacks on its civilian infrastructure. Striking military targets inside Russia would send a powerful message to Putin: that Ukraine, with the backing of the West, can and will defend itself by any means necessary. And perhaps even more crucially, it would bolster Ukrainian morale at a time when the war is dragging on with no clear end in sight. Imagine the boost in confidence Ukrainians would feel, knowing they can finally hit back at the very source of their suffering.

Biden should stop being the hesitant leader who gives Ukraine enough to survive but not enough to win. He should follow the lead of Britain and France and give Ukraine the long-range missiles they need to hit back at Russian military targets. This would not only strengthen Ukraine’s hand in any potential peace talks but also send a clear message to Putin that the West will not be cowed by his threats. As the Ukrainian proverb goes, “When you ride a lion, don’t be afraid of its claws.” Biden needs to show that he’s not afraid to ride the lion of military support all the way to victory for Ukraine.

At the end of the day, Biden's cautious approach only benefits one person: Vladimir Putin. It’s time to call his bluff and give Ukraine the weapons it needs not just to survive but to win. If the West keeps playing this half-hearted game, we might as well send Putin a thank-you note for showing us how to exploit indecision. After all, as history has shown us, “he who hesitates is lost”—or in this case, Ukraine may be.