“It's a reckless move on the part of the White House, and a surprising one, given the fact that [President Biden] has less than 60 days left in office,” Sean McFate, adjunct professor in Maxwell's Washington programs, tells The National.

“Once Trump assumes office, he's going to pick winners and losers for both Russia and Israel. And in the Ukraine case, he's going to stop all support for Ukraine and encourage and probably endorse a deal where it becomes a frozen conflict, but in Russia's favor,” says McFate.

In the Daily Express article, “NATO issued warning as 'nuclear dice' thrown with 'Zelensky fatigue' setting in,” McFate speculates that the Trump administration will probably “pick winners in two wars” that might lead to a “frozen conflict for Ukraine” that suits Putin's ulterior interests. He adds that Putin is simply “waiting out Biden” to either invade Ukraine completely or replace Zelensky with a Moscow-backed puppet.

McFate also spoke to Defense One about Russia's recent nuclear doctrine change. “Putin has lowered the bar for Russian nuclear engagement, a clear signal to NATO to back off,“ he says. “It’s a response to Biden's allowing Ukraine to use long-range American missiles against Russian targets. It is difficult to know when Putin is bluffing or not. Biden is rolling the nuclear dice on the eve of his transition. It’s completely reckless.”