The Russian Red Line Washington Won’t Cross—Yet
AtlanticMay 26, 2023
The Facts
The US is likely to send Ukraine long-range Army Tactical Missile Systems, also known as ATACMS, according to officials who spoke to ABC News.
The report comes as the US has gradually increased the lethality of weapons it has committed to providing Ukraine, having approved the transfer of controversial cluster munitions, F-16 fighter jets, and, most recently, armor-piercing depleted uranium shells.
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
The US' reluctance to provide ATACMS has come out of a mistaken fear that it would lead to an escalation of the conflict — France and Britain provided similar weapons without a major Russian reaction. Fortunately, Biden seems to be noticing that and will soon reverse course.
Pro-Russia narrative
Despite Russia's warnings, the US keeps on provoking by sending more and more advanced weaponry with expanded capabilities. Talk of sending ATACMS weapons is deeply disturbing and could lead to disastrous and unpredictable consequences.
Nerd narrative
There's a 4% chance that there will be a deadly clash between the US and Russian armed forces before 2024, according to the Metaculus prediction community.