Biden turned to the Lessons of the Cuban Missile crisis in dealing with the Putin threat
When did U.S. missile strikes start in Kiev, and when did it stop? The Cuban Missile Crisis triggered a full nuclear defence deal for Ukraine
During the call, a White House statement said, Biden “expressed his condemnation of Russia’s missile strikes across Ukraine, including in Kyiv, and conveyed his condolences to the loved ones of those killed and injured in these senseless attacks. President Biden pledged to continue providing Ukraine with the support needed to defend itself, including advanced air defense systems.”
His logic came right out of the Cuban Missile Crisis, to which Mr. Biden referred twice in his comments at a Democratic fund-raiser in New York, a good indication of what is on his mind. In that famous case — the closest the world came to a full nuclear exchange, 60 years ago this month — President John F. Kennedy struck a secret bargain with Nikita Khrushchev, the Soviet premier, to remove American missiles from Turkey.
The disaster that could have killed tens of millions of Americans and untold numbers of Soviet citizens was averted with the deal that came to light later.
The White House did not specify which air defense systems Biden discussed with Zelensky, but the United States previously committed to providing Ukraine with National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems. NASAMS would be capable of engaging Russian cruise missiles.
As of a Department of Defense briefing in late September, the US had yet to deliver NASAMS to Ukraine. At that time, he was a brigadier. Gen. Patrick Ryder said two systems were expected to be delivered in the next two months, with the remaining six to arrive at an undetermined date.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken also spoke with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on Monday to reiterate US support following the deadly strikes. Zelensky is expected to address the group during the video conference that Biden is expected to join on Tuesday.
Russian Launch of 84 Cruise Missiles on Monday in Ukraine: “It’s a Test of Russia’s Nuclear Forces,” Putin told the State of the Nation
Russia launched 84 cruise missiles against targets in Ukranian on Monday, the General Staff of theArmed Forces of Ukraine said on their Facebook page.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said the strikes were a response to what he described as acts of “terrorism” by Kyiv. Specifically, he referred to Saturday’s explosion on the Kerch Bridge linking Russia and Crimea – which he blamed on Ukraine’s “special services” – and a list of other alleged “crimes.”
“We continue to monitor his nuclear capabilities, Kate, best we can. And what I can tell you today is that we just don’t see any indications that Mr. Putin has made a decision to use weapons of mass destruction or even nuclear weapons. Kirby said that no one had seen what would give them cause to change their deterrent posture.
The deputy head of Russia’s Security Council believes that Moscow should dismantle Zelensky’s regime.
John Kirby, a spokesperson for the National Security Council, said Monday that there will likely be additional support packages for Ukraine announced “in the very near future.”
“It’s clear that he’s feeling the pressure both at home and overseas, and how he reacts to that only he can say,” Kirby told CNN’s Kate Bolduan on “Erin Burnett OutFront.”
The test of an intercontinental missile was carried out by Russia around the time Vice President Joe Biden visited Ukraine, according to two US officials.
The United States was notified of the launch by Russia, one official said. Another official said that the test did not pose a risk to the United States and that the US did not view the test as an anomaly or an escalation.
The test of the Satan II, a missile that can deliver multiple nuclear warheads, appeared to have failed, officials said. It has been successfully tested before and had this one worked, US officials believe Russian President Vladimir Putin would have highlighted the test in his State of the Nation address on Tuesday.
Instead, Putin made no mention of the launch in the speech that lasted an hour and 45 minutes. He did, however, formally declare that Russia will be suspending his country’s participation in the New START nuclear arms reduction treaty with the United States, imperiling the last remaining pact that regulates the world’s two largest nuclear arsenals.
CNN initially reported the apparent test occurred while Biden was in Ukraine based off information from sources. After this story first published, one of the officials said the test occurred just before Biden was in the country. The second source had told CNN there was a test on Monday.
The timing of the test suggests that the US and Russia were communicating through several different channels earlier this week for deconfliction purposes – US officials also notified the Russians on Sunday night, hours before Biden’s visit to Kyiv, that the president would be making the trip to the Ukrainian capital, national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Monday.
The Kremlin on Wednesday declined to comment when asked about these reports in a conference call with reporters. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the matter was “the prerogative of the Ministry of Defense.”
It was not a surprise that the test in 2022 was a routine one. It was not deemed to be a threat to the United States or its allies.”
Russian fighters and bombers left US and Canada after two attacks of the NORAD Air Defense Identification Zone on July 23rd, 2011 during a Russian attack on Alaska
The world continues to be inspired by Ukrainian bravery and resilience even though Russia is now a pariah. Mark Milley, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, said last week that Russia had lost strategically, operationally and tactically.
Russian fighters and bombers flew near Alaska two times last week, prompting NORAD to scramble its fighter jets. The Russian aircraft remained outside US and Canadian sovereign airspace, which extends 12 miles from the coastline, but they flew in or near Alaska’s Air Defense Identification Zone, which is up to 200 miles from the coastline.
The ADIZ was disrupted last Monday by the intercepting of the TU-95 and SU-35 fighters. One day later, NORAD F-35s intercepted TU-95 bombers, as well as SU-30 and SU-35 fighters.
The Russian flights were not considered a threat by NORAD or to be related to the objects seen in Canada and Alaska.
