President Joe Biden on Sunday authorized Ukraine to use long-range, made-in-USA missiles deep into Russian territory.

With just two months left in Biden’s presidency, many are concerned that this drastic policy change will widen the war, which has thus far been limited to the border regions.

“This is a very big step towards the start of World War III,” said Vladimir Dzhabarov, first deputy head of Russia’s Senate international affairs committee, as reported by Russia’s government-run Tass news agency.

Russia President Vladimir Putin then lowered the threshold for the use of nuclear weapons. The new Russian nuclear doctrine says a conventional attack on Russia by any nation supported by a nuclear power will be considered a joint attack on his country.

“Russia will also engage in nuclear deterrence against those countries that offer their territory, maritime zones, airspace, and resources for aggression against it,” Tass reported. “Additionally, a nuclear response is deemed possible if there is a critical threat to Russia’s sovereignty, even from conventional weapons, including an attack on Belarus as part of the Union State, or a massive launch of warplanes, cruise missiles, drones, or other aircraft crossing the Russian border.”

In other words, if Ukraine attacks Russia, even with drones as it has done in the past year, Putin is now authorized to use nuclear weapons on Ukraine.

The move was intended to send a signal to the White House that the Kremlin will meet force with overwhelming force.

On Tuesday, just two days after Biden’s authorization, Ukraine used the U.S.-made weapons to attack Russia.

The destabilization of the U.S.-Russia relationship may mean that Biden is leaving Donald Trump a quickly widening conflict, complicated by Russia’s willingness to use nuclear weapons on the United States.

The United States has already sent more than $56.5 billion in security assistance to Ukraine, through both presidential drawdown authority and the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative. The Department of Defense announced in October the 68th tranche of security assistance for Ukraine since August, 2021. Biden directed Defense to allocate all remaining security assistance funding appropriated for Ukraine before Trump takes office.

While munitions sent previously to Ukraine were along the lines of air-to-ground munitions, ammunition for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, 155 mm and 105 mm artillery ammunition, Javelin and AT4 anti-armor systems, spare parts, and armored security vehicles, the Lockheed Martin-made MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) are supersonic tactical ballistic missiles, harder to shoot down. 

They are designed and intended to allow Ukraine to strike Russian missile launch sites before missiles are launched, with a range of nearly 200 miles.

Thus far, Ukraine’s strikes deep into Russian territory have been by drones and non-U.S.A.-made weapons.

“As part of this effort, the Department of Defense will allocate the remaining Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative funds by the end of this year,” President Biden said in September. “I also have authorized $5.5 billion in presidential drawdown authority to ensure this authority does not expire so that my administration can fully utilize the funding appropriated by Congress to support the drawdown of U.S. equipment for Ukraine and then replenish U.S. stockpiles.” 

Also this week, the president was on a stroll of the rainforest in Brazil, where he touted his efforts to preserve the planet’s environment and said he would “leave my successor and my country in a strong foundation to build on if they choose to do so.”

But Biden took no questions from the media on his decision to expand the war between Russia and Ukraine.