What will Putin do about Biden’s parting gift to Ukraine?

At the very moment most people seem to have forgotten of his existence, President Biden has slowly but purposefully shuffled across Vladimir Putin’s latest red line in Ukraine. After months of President Zelensky’s tireless pleas, the United States has finally given Kyiv a green light to use American missiles (ATACMS) for strikes deep inside Russia.

Reports indicate that Biden’s permission applies in the first instance only to the Russian and North Korean troops deployed in the Kursk region. It aims at helping Kyiv to hold on to the piece of the Russian territory that the Ukrainians have occupied since August 2024, while signalling to the North Koreans that their involvement in Russia’s war comes at a cost.

In other words, Biden has not so much crossed Putin’s red line as probed it with one foot. This is very much in character for a president who has thus far shown exceptional caution in handling Putin.