Biden is aiding Trump in strengthening Ukraine's negotiation position. A look at global media coverage.

Biden Plays the Bad Cop, While Trump is the Good Cop?

U.S. President Joe Biden is no longer intimidated by Putin's threats and is prepared to take decisive action to strengthen Ukraine's defense capabilities before Donald Trump returns to the White House, noted the American publication Hill. In response to the involvement of North Korean troops in Russia's war against Ukraine, Biden has finally allowed Kyiv to strike Russian territory using long-range ATACMS ballistic missiles.

This decision could significantly impact not only the course of the war but also the upcoming negotiations with Russia regarding a ceasefire in Ukraine, wrote Dov Zakheim, a senior advisor at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and former deputy head of the U.S. Institute for Foreign Policy Studies, in a column for Hill. Zakheim served as the U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense from 2001 to 2004 and as Deputy Secretary of Defense in Ronald Reagan's administration from 1985 to 1987.

Biden's authorization for strikes with long-range weapons against Russia also pertains to the use of British and French Storm Shadow/SCALP cruise missiles. The components of these missiles include American-made terrain navigation systems, which fall under U.S. restrictions on their use, noted Dov Zakheim.

On the same day that Ukraine first struck Russia with ATACMS missiles, Vladimir Putin stated that providing Ukraine with long-range missiles would mean that NATO countries are at war with Russia. However, Biden no longer considers the Kremlin's threats, although he could have acted this way earlier, criticized Zakheim.

“At the end of his term, President Biden decided no longer to hold back in the face of the unmaterialized Russian nuclear threat. If Washington had shown such resolve a few years ago and not heeded Putin's empty nuclear threats, the war might have ended long ago,” Zakheim wrote in his column for Hill.

Michael Waltz, whom Donald Trump plans to appoint as national security advisor in his next administration, stated that the Trump team is working “hand in hand” with the Biden administration to achieve peace in Ukraine and is coordinating its position.

The escalation of the war in Ukraine seems inevitable as each side attempts to strengthen its position ahead of Trump's return to power and potential negotiations to end the war, noted the American newspaper Washington Post in its editorial.

European partners of Ukraine are showing signs of war fatigue and may be more inclined towards a peaceful settlement in the near future. However, the danger for Ukraine lies in the possibility that in seeking a quick agreement, Donald Trump may settle for a “bad peace,” the Washington Post warned.

A withdrawal of further support for Ukraine or a peace agreement that leaves occupied territories under Russian control would signal to dictators around the world that the West's resolve has an expiration date. Such an outcome would be tantamount to defeat for both Ukraine and the West, the Washington Post emphasized. A “bad peace for Ukraine” could encourage China to seize Taiwan and North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un to engage in military aggression against South Korea.

During his presidential campaign, Donald Trump frequently spoke about the hasty and poorly planned withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan during Biden's presidency. Trump insisted that this retreat was perceived globally as a sign of U.S. weakness.

A withdrawal from Ukraine after three years of American and European support would signify America's weakness. And if this happens as a result of agreements reached by President Trump, he will be fully responsible. He will no longer be able to blame Biden.Washington Post

Biden's increased support for Ukraine works in Trump's favor and may ease his job when he returns to the Oval Office. Donald Trump cannot afford to let Ukraine lose the war, the Washington Post concluded.

In the final days of his administration, President Joe Biden is making efforts to strengthen Ukraine's defense capabilities, as no one knows what Donald Trump's policy on supporting Kyiv will be, noted the American publication Bloomberg.

The White House and Pentagon are rushing to utilize the last funds allocated by Congress for Ukraine's defense, amounting to approximately $9 billion. According to the U.S. State Department, since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Washington has provided Kyiv with military assistance totaling over $64 billion.

The Biden administration also considered calling on partners to support Ukraine's invitation to join NATO but decided against such a step. Instead, the White House has chosen to focus in the coming weeks on enhancing military support for Ukraine and lifting restrictions on the use of American weapons to strike Russia.

Some members of the Trump team, such as future U.S. National Security Advisor Michael Waltz, have criticized Washington's recent decision to allow Kyiv to strike deep into Russia with ATACMS missiles.

“The authorization for ATACMS strikes is another step toward escalation. And no one knows where this will lead us,” said Michael Waltz in an interview with Fox News.

However, Donald Trump may be interested in increasing support for Ukraine from the Biden administration, Bloomberg noted. The newly elected president could use this to achieve peace on terms favorable to Ukraine and the U.S., which he would present as his own victory.

How Western Components End Up in North Korean Missiles

Every third ballistic missile that Russia launches at Ukraine has been manufactured in North Korea, reported the American television channel CNN. However, no North Korean missile would be able to fly without Western components acquired in violation of sanctions, notes CNN, citing a representative of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense.

This year, Russia has launched about 194 ballistic missiles at Ukraine, including 60 North Korean KN-23/24 missiles. A surge in ballistic missile attacks was observed in August and September when Ukraine officially acknowledged that Russia was using North Korean missiles for the first time.

“We see that in spring, Russia uses ballistic missiles and strike drones much more. And it uses fewer cruise missiles,” said Yuriy Ignat, acting spokesperson for the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, in a comment to CNN.

Electronics produced in the U.S. and Europe were found in downed North Korean missiles. North Korea actively uses Western components in its missile guidance systems.

According to a recent report by the Independent Anti-Corruption Commission of Ukraine (NABU), nine Western manufacturers, including companies from the United States, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom, produce critical components used in North Korean missiles. Some parts of the KN-23/24 missiles they analyzed were manufactured as recently as 2023, indicating rapid delivery to North Korea.

“All the electronics in North Korean missiles is foreign. There is nothing Korean there except for the quickly rusting metal,” said Andriy Kulchytskyi, head of the laboratory at the Kyiv Scientific Research Institute of Forensic Expertise, in a comment to CNN.

A report published earlier this year by the British research organization Conflict Armament Research (CAR) found that 75% of the components of one of the North Korean missiles that was first launched at Ukraine were made by companies based in the U.S. All signs indicate that a likely channel for the supply of these components to North Korea is China. However, experts suggest that the main issue is likely intermediary companies rather than the manufacturers themselves.

“Some of the Western components of North Korean missiles could very well be counterfeit and made in China. But we cannot be 100% certain of this,” said Victoria Vishnevskaya, senior researcher at NABU, in a CNN interview.

Components from more than 250 Western companies were discovered in North Korean missiles. However, most of this microelectronics is only sold to five major distributors based in the U.S. and Canada. British experts from CAR are urging policymakers to focus more on regulating the activities of these distributor companies.

The U.S. Department of Commerce has already tightened controls on companies and front organizations supplying sanctioned goods to Russia and Belarus. Ukrainian officials claim that one of the main problems is poor enforcement of the sanctions regime by Western countries.