The strike comes amid a recent uptick in attacks on Crimea which even the hawkish Secretary of State Antony Blinken has acknowledged would cross Moscow’s "red line" and provoke a severe reaction.
Mike Morell was asked by Antony Blinken, a then senior campaign official, to organize the letter signed by 51 intelligence officials which falsely claimed the story was part of a Russian disinformation campaign
This step comes amid soaring tensions over Ukraine and the NATO proxy war with Russia. Moscow made the decision to deploy tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus after London supplied Kiev Challenger 2 tanks armed with depleted uranium munitions
Moscow, like Washington, does not recognize the court’s jurisdiction. The US has previously sanctioned the court for attempting to investigate American war crimes. Though, the timing of the warrants may stifle China’s efforts to broker a peace between Kiev and Moscow.
Instead of attempting to de-escalate tensions, Blinken confronted his Chinese counterpart, accusing Beijing of "violating" US sovereignty with its balloon. Blinken said he received "no apology."
