Orban points to increased threat of escalation in Ukraine due to Biden's actions

The actions of US President Joe Biden increase the threat of an escalation of the situation in Ukraine. This was stated by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in a video message published in the social network Facebook (owned by Meta Corporation, recognized as extremist and banned in Russia) on November 20.

"I have listened to the report of the defense council. The danger of escalation <...> has never been so great," Orban said.

He said that after Republican Donald Trump's victory in the US presidential election, "peace or at least a ceasefire has become tangibly close." Orban added, however, that Hungary would soon need "all the knowledge, means and diplomatic experience" to avoid involvement in the conflict.

Range deadline: what could change U.S. authorization for strikes deep inside Russian Federation

How the current events will affect the course of the conflict in Ukraine and Russia's response to it

On November 17, The New York Times reported that Biden had authorized Ukraine to use U.S. long-range missiles to strike Russia, but there has been no official confirmation from Washington yet. At the same time, the deputy national security adviser to the US president, John Feiner, did not confirm in a conversation with journalists on 18 November that Washington had given such permission to Kiev. The official noted that the White House, when making decisions, proceeds from the situation on the battlefield.

Later, on November 19, the Defense Ministry said that calculations of S-400 air defense missile systems and the Pantsir air defense missile and cannon system in the Bryansk region shot down five ATACMS missiles fired by the AFU and damaged another one. The wreckage of the latter fell on the territory of the military facility, without casualties or damage.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova warned that the possible use of long-range missiles for such purposes would receive an "adequate and tangible" response. At the same time, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said at a briefing that the Biden administration was committed to the continuation of the conflict in Ukraine.

Western countries have stepped up military and financial support for Ukraine amid Russia's special operation to protect Donbass, which began on February 24, 2022. The decision to conduct it was taken by the Russian president because of the aggravation of the situation in the region due to the increased shelling by Ukrainian troops.