Biden's former aide says he wants escalation in Ukraine

The current US administration headed by President Joe Biden wants to escalate the conflict in Ukraine. This was told to Izvestia on November 20 by Biden's former aide, writer and publicist Tara Reid.

"Absolutely, yes, the neoliberal elite [of the US] wants a third world war. I don't know why they are pursuing it, it's the road to death," the former aide to the US leader said when asked about the US administration's desire to see the conflict escalate.

She expressed hope that the elected head of the United States, Donald Trump, before his inauguration, is already negotiating the settlement of the conflict "behind the scenes", noting that he promised to bring peace. Reid, however, added that there will be a very dangerous moment in history until January 20, when Trump actually takes power.

Furthermore, in response to a question regarding Trump ending funding for Kiev, Reid noted that he has already done so, as have other people in the administration who want to see the conflict de-escalated. She also added that politicians wanted to see an end to all the endless conflicts, while also paying attention to the situation in the Middle East.

"We will see what happens. We know that politicians often make promises, but we'll have to see if Trump keeps his word," she added.

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

Earlier in the day, it was reported that Trump may soon hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the Ukraine conflict.

On November 17, The New York Times reported that Biden had authorized Ukraine to use US 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.