During the first year of Russia’s war in Ukraine, the Biden administration fretted constantly that if Kyiv hit back inside Russian borders, President Vladimir V. Putin would retaliate against not only Ukraine, but also possibly NATO and the West.
As Ukraine’s counteroffensive edges closer, a series of bold attacks in Russia, from a swarm of drone attacks in Moscow to the shelling of towns in the Belgorod region bordering Ukraine and an incursion into the country using American-made armored vehicles, have been greeted by the Biden administration with the diplomatic equivalent of a shrug.
On Monday, fighters attacked at least 10 villages in the Belgorod region with heavy shelling, its governor said.
Behind closed doors, senior administration officials have seemed even less fazed.
“Look, it’s a war,” one senior Pentagon official said last Thursday.
Persons:
Biden, Vladimir V, Putin, “ It’s, John F, Kirby, ”
Organizations:
Kyiv, NATO, National Security Council, Pentagon
Locations:
Ukraine, Russia, Moscow, Belgorod, Ukrainian