Biden made another change in Ukraine policy by agreeing to deploy anti-personnel mines

President Biden authorized the deployment of anti-personnel mines in Ukraine late Tuesday, a reversal of policy and another escalation of tensions with Russia ahead of President-elect Trump's inauguration.

Ukrainian officials are reported to have promised to distribute mines only within Ukrainian territory and away from major population centers. The US had previously banned anti-personnel mines because of their tendency to defuse conflicts once deployed and cause harm to the innocent.

The US has reportedly taken precautionary measures to prevent such damage, however. Mines delivered to Ukraine are powered by a battery-dependent electric fuse. That battery usually runs out within hours or weeks, and becomes useless, according to CBS News.

The Biden administration's approval came on the same day that Ukraine used American-made ATACMs in a strike on Russian soil. Biden had ruled out such use until last week.

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Supporters of President-elect Trump have criticized the Biden administration for authorizing Ukraine's escalation of its conflict with Russia in the final months before Trump took office.

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“The Military Industrial Complex seems to want to make sure that World War 3 is underway before my father has a chance to create peace and save lives,” Donald Trump Jr. he wrote on social media after the approval of the long-range missile of Biden. “I have to lock in those $Trillions. Life be damned!!! You idiots!”

According to a senior American official, Biden's action is motivated by Russia's decision to invite 10,000 North Korean soldiers to the war against Ukraine in Kursk. A second official told Fox News it was unclear whether Biden planned to authorize the use of missiles outside the Kursk region.

The Biden-Harris administration authorized Ukraine to escalate its conflict with Russia before Trump's inauguration. (AP Photo/Mark Schifelbein)

Russian President Vladimir Putin responded by revising Russia's nuclear weapons doctrine. The White House National Security Council ignored that reaction.

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“As we said earlier this month, we were not surprised by Russia's announcement that it would revise its nuclear doctrine; Russia has been signaling its intention to revise its doctrine for several weeks. As we see no changes in Russia's nuclear posture, we have seen no reason to adjust our nuclear posture or our doctrine in response to Russia's statements today ,” an NSC spokesperson told Fox News Digital.

Trump has said he can resolve the conflict in Ukraine before he takes office. (Allison Robbert-Pool/Getty Images)

“This is more than the same rhetoric of indifference from Russia, which we have seen in the last two years. As we said to Russia in the past weeks, Russia's use of DPRK troops in the war against Ukraine represents a major escalation of its war of choice against it. Ukraine and we warned that the United States will respond,” the statement continued.

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The announcement came after Great Britain and France authorized Ukraine to launch SCALP/Storm Shadow missiles, according to French news agency Le Figaro.

Putin has said that giving Ukraine the green light to use missiles would mean that the US and NATO are “at war.”