The decision by the Biden administration to hold off on announcing the approval of long-range missile strikes on Russia was likely the result of Russia telling the White House in no uncertain terms that it would mean war, John Mearsheimer, the University of Chicago professor, told Judge Andrew Napolitano’s podcast.
Mearsheimer said Russian President Vladimir Putin made it unequivocally clear that he viewed the approval of these missile strikes as a declaration of war.
“And I would bet a good chunk of money that somebody at the highest levels of the Russian government called somebody at the highest level of the American government and told them in no uncertain terms that they should believe every word that Putin had uttered, and maybe even gave the Americans some details on what the Russians might do. But I think the White House got the message loudly and clearly that they were playing with fire,” he said.
Hellbound and Down 