Serbian top official accuses Biden of provoking global conflict by authorizing strikes on Russia

Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vulin has criticized the decision by US President Joe Biden's administration to authorize the use of US missiles for strikes deep inside Russia.

He claimed it is aimed at preventing President-elect Donald Trump from resolving the conflict in Ukraine, Caliber.Az reports via Russian media.

Vulin said, “The outgoing administration [of the US president] made perhaps the most important decision in the last 100 years, and we are on the brink of nuclear war. This was done systematically, and deliberately, because once the conflict starts, there will be no going back to the old. They want to prevent what Trump said (that he will stop the war in Ukraine).” 

He added, “The question of when World War III will start is no longer a question, it started a very long time ago. Back with the unification of Germany and the fall of the Berlin Wall, then with the revision of the results of the Second World War, then with the war in Yugoslavia, now in Ukraine, the only question is whether it will escalate into a nuclear conflict.”

Milorad Dodik, President of Republika Srpska, has also expressed disapproval of Biden’s decision, calling it “unjustified” and an indication of the West’s antagonism towards Russia. “The decision of US President Joe Biden's administration to authorize the use of US long-range missiles for strikes on Russian territory is unjustified and proves that Biden and the West are at war with Russia,” Dodik wrote on X.

Dodik emphasized that Moscow is “fighting a just war and has the right to defend its state and national interests.” He reiterated his support for Trump’s calls to establish peace, adding, “The use of nuclear weapons would certainly not come from the Russian side, no matter what weapons it has in its arsenal.” He stated that he would not want to witness such an event, as it “could mean the death of civilization.” Dodik described Russian President Vladimir Putin as “a reasonable leader responsible for the state and nation” and expressed confidence that through Putin’s leadership, the world could avoid a nuclear conflict.

US President Joe Biden’s authorization of Ukraine to strike deep into Russia with long-range ATACMS missiles has been framed by some as a move to undermine Trump’s potential to resolve the conflict. According to the American publication American Thinker, Biden and his allies seek to escalate the war to ensure that “Trump's second term will not achieve its stated goals.” The publication raised concerns about the risk of pushing the world to the brink of nuclear war to preserve Biden's political standing.

On November 19, the Russian Defence Ministry reported that Ukrainian forces had launched ATACMS missiles into the Bryansk region, five of which were intercepted by Pantsir and S-400 systems, while another was damaged.

The New York Times reported on November 17 that Biden had authorized the use of US ATACMS missiles for strikes on Russian territory, a move that has not been publicly confirmed nor denied by the US administration. European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell indicated that some EU countries have also allowed strikes using their weapons on Russian soil. Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned that the use of such missiles could trigger a nuclear response, citing Russia’s updated nuclear doctrine. He described this decision as a “qualitatively new round” of tension in the ongoing conflict.

By Tamilla Hasanova