Even while it's clear Ukraine forces are being beaten back from the front lines, NBC reports this week that Biden is now closer to approving longer-range missile systems, which are capable of striking deeper into Crimea and Russian territory. 

"After months of requests from Ukrainian officials, the Biden administration is working toward providing Ukraine with powerful new long-range ballistic missiles, according to two U.S. officials," the report says.

The advanced weapon system in question here is the long-range Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) with a range of nearly 200 miles, significantly beyond the HIMARS systems which were already long ago provided. The HIMARS in Ukraine's possession are commonly estimated to reach 50-60 miles.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba strongly suggested progress was made on the issue during his meeting with Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Munich this weekend. "I just came here from a meeting with Secretary Blinken," Kuleba had said Saturday. "I spent a very good part of the time arguing in favor of ATACMS."

A US official told NBC that ATACMS "would allow Ukraine to strike farther inside the Russian-held Crimean Peninsula."

That Biden administration officials are openly boasting that this would be a motivating factor in providing the long-range missiles takes the world into highly dangerous territory, and stumbling further toward WW3.

The thinking still reflects the claim that Russia seeks to expand the war beyond Ukraine and into Europe. Kiev and its closest allies have been advancing this narrative hard of late, especially while trying to get Washington funds unblocked. For example in the wake of the fall of Avdiivka:

"The era of peace in Europe is over," Dmytro Kuleba, Ukrainian foreign minister, told those present.