Biden endorses Ukraine's supply with anti-military mines

This is seen as a step that can help Ukraine stop the Russian forces' progress in the east of the country, especially if mines are used along with other ammunition from the United States.

The United States expects Ukraine to use mines on its own land, even though it has demanded that they not be used in residential parts of civilians, the official said.

The Washington Post reported first on Beden's decision.

The United States has supplied Ukraine with cross-mines throughout its fight with Russia, but increased anti-military mines are aimed at curbing Russian infantry progress, the official stressed, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The American mines differ from those of Russia, because they are “sustainable” and become useless after a while, the official said. They need batteries to explode, and it cannot explode after the battery is out.

On Tuesday, Ukraine used the long-range American missiles, ATACMS, in order to carry out attacks on Russian soil, using permission that American President Joe Biden's outgoing administration told him on the 1,000th day of the war.

Moscow said that the use of ATACMS, the longest-range missiles Washington has supplied to Ukraine so far, is clear evidence that the West wants to escalate the conflict.

On Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin lowered the threshold for use of nuclear weapons in response to a wider range of conventional attacks.

Russia has been warning the West for months that if Washington allows Ukraine to launch American, British and French missiles deep inside Russia, then Moscow will consider these NATO member states to be directly involved in the war in Ukraine. / REL/