US officials are discussing with their Ukrainian counterparts the use of American weapons to target the Crimean bridge.

The United States of America can provide Ukraine with the weapons it needs for the complete liberation of occupied Crimea. Although officially the USA adheres to a “hard line” and refused to provide Ukraine with long-range weapons to launch strikes on military bases of Russian troops in Crimea, now this position is beginning to soften.

Several U.S. officials told The New York Times on condition of anonymity that after months of discussions with Ukrainian officials, the Biden administration is beginning to recognize that Ukraine may need force to strike the occupiers of Crimea, even if that move increases the risk of escalation.

“The change in position occurred because the Biden administration believed that if the Ukrainian military could show Russia that its control of Crimea could be threatened, it would strengthen Kyiv’s position in future negotiations. In addition, according to U.S. officials and experts, fears that that the Kremlin would respond with tactical nuclear weapons have faded, although they have warned that the risk remains,” the article says.

It is emphasized that the new position on Crimea, illegally annexed by Russia in 2014, shows how far the officials of the Biden administration have advanced since the beginning of the Russian war against Ukraine, when they were wary of even publicly admitting that the United States was transferring Stinger anti-aircraft missiles to Ukrainian forces. During the war, the United States and its NATO allies gradually moved from Javelin and Stinger supplies to advanced missile systems, Patriot air defense systems, armored fighting vehicles and even some Western tanks.

Journalists write that American officials are discussing with their Ukrainian counterparts the use of American weapons, from HIMARS missile systems to Bradley fighting vehicles, to possibly target the Crimean bridge.

“However, President Biden is not yet ready to provide Ukraine with the long-range missile systems that Kyiv will need to attack Russian facilities on the peninsula,” the NYT noted.

Despite the provision of additional weapons, the Biden administration does not believe that Ukraine can seize Crimea by military means. In addition, there are still fears that such a move could provoke Russian dictator Putin to respond with escalation. However, officials say, Russia must believe that Crimea is under threat as a factor in strengthening Ukraine’s position in any future negotiations.

American officials believe that by demonstrating the ability to strike Crimea, Ukraine could show that Russian control over the peninsula has not been established. In addition, the Biden administration increasingly believes that strikes on Russia’s rear lines emanating from Crimea could seriously damage the Kremlin’s ability to push its front lines further.

“Without Crimea, everything will fall apart,” Evelyn Farkas, the Pentagon’s top official on Ukrainian affairs during Obama’s presidency, emphasized.

Deoccupation of Crimea

Mykhailo Podolyak, adviser to the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, said that Russia is ready to flee from occupied Crimea. He assumed that after Crimea comes under total fire control of Ukraine, the occupiers will begin to flee the peninsula.

Nataliya Gumenyuk, a representative of OC “South”, reported that the bases of the occupiers in the southern direction were significantly damaged, so the Russians are trying to move as far as possible from the front. This also applies to those invaders who settled in Crimea and began to actively strengthen their defenses. They are preparing for a counteroffensive of the Armed Forces in Crimea.

At the same time, Andriy Chernyak, a representative of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, noted that Russia is redeploying new military units to the north of Crimea to maintain the occupied territories. Enemies are now making every effort to preserve the so-called land corridor to Crimea.