The answer to the question of whether Washington is fighting a proxy war in Ukraine depends on who answers it, says Andrew Buncombe, the British correspondent for the British newspaper The Independent in the United States.

He explained - in his report - that part of the problem is the lack of an agreed upon definition, but the indicators of US involvement in helping Ukraine are increasing every day.

announced indicators

Buncombe reviewed the announced indicators of engagement, such as America's help in Ukraine in killing 12 Russian generals, the sinking of the main Russian ship Moskva, in an embarrassing blow to Moscow, and Washington's intention to send about 14 billion dollars in military and other aid to Ukraine in repelling Russia, as requested by President Joe Biden. Congress approved $33 billion.

The writer added, "We know Washington's desire to weaken the Russian military so that it cannot repeat what it did to Ukraine," and what Biden said about President Vladimir Putin that he is a war criminal "should not remain in power."

Despite this, Buncombe said, the White House continues to insist that the United States is not engaged in a proxy war with Russia;

"This is not a proxy war, this is a war between Russia and Ukraine. NATO is not involved, and the United States is not fighting this war," White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters this week.


An academic defines war by proxy

Norman Naimark, a professor of Eastern European studies at Stanford University in the United States, was quoted as saying that he does not believe that what is happening in Ukraine is a proxy war, and that referring to this is an insult to the Ukrainians, and defines a proxy war as the war that a party is fighting at your request, saying, “This is an insult to the Ukrainians.” It's not what's happening in Ukraine. They are fighting for themselves."

He said the United States had said it wanted to reduce Russia's ability to engage in this type of fighting, "and there's nothing wrong with that, by helping Ukraine."

As for Russia, it claimed that the United States was engaged in a proxy war. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused NATO of waging a proxy war by providing military aid, stating that “NATO, in essence, is engaged in a war with Russia through a proxy and is arming that proxy.” War means war.

Warning of a bloody Russian response

Despite Washington's insistence that Biden does not want American soldiers on the ground and seeks to de-escalate the conflict, many people have warned that the United States and NATO risk a bloodier response from Russia, if Putin feels pressure, and do not rule out the use of nuclear weapons or chemical.

Buncombe quoted John Mearsheimer, a political and strategic analyst at the University of Chicago, as saying that the United States seems to have clearly changed what it wants to secure from the conflict, as it was initially focused on helping Ukraine “thwart the Russian attack, and now it seems intent on inflicting a crushing defeat.” Russian forces in Ukraine, in other words, decisively defeating them on the battlefield, as well as destroying the Russian economy with sanctions and driving Russia out of the ranks of the great powers.”

But Sarah Petrine, a former NATO adviser who has long worked to help civilians in conflict areas, said she thinks the United States is clearly not trying to get more involved;

The reluctance to engage them militarily is evident in the restrictions on the type of weapons offered and the lack of any air or ground defenses that have been adhered to, and the risk of conflict spreading to other parts of Eastern Europe is something the United States and NATO are trying to avoid.