IT SCARCELY gets more dangerous than this. The semi-senile President of the United States has determined to use his remaining months in office to dramatically ratchet up the war in Ukraine.

Joe Biden’s decision to allow Ukraine to fire US-supplied missiles deep into Russia, permission it has hitherto withheld, is a major step towards extending the conflict into an actual face-off between the world’s two major nuclear-armed powers.

Since the missiles concerned cannot easily be operated without full US logistical, intelligence and targeting support, this takes the prolonged proxy war much closer to a direct clash.

Biden’s move looks likely to be echoed, as ever, by Keir Starmer, who has been prevented by Washington from allowing Ukraine to use British Storm Shadow missiles to hit targets inside Russia. Those restrictions may now be cast aside.

Starmer is talking of “doubling down” on the war at the precise moment when hopes for an end to a bloody and unnecessary conflict should be rising.

It has been clear to every sober observer that, since the failure of Ukraine’s 2023 summer offensive, the chances of Nato achieving its maximum war aims of forcing the Russian army back to the borders of 2022, let alone 2014, were evaporating.

Since then, Russia has moved onto the front foot across most of the battlefront and is gradually gaining territory. To set against this, there has only been Zelensky’s Kursk offensive, which more than ever looks like a futile diversion.

President-elect Donald Trump represents those sections of the Washington elite who, with considerable mass support, accept the military realities, resent the vast sums US taxpayers are spending on the conflict and prefer to focus on the “Chinese threat” in any case.

He has pledged to end the conflict “within a day” once in office. Given that, Biden’s move looks more than usually cynical.

This should be a moment when every effort is focused on securing a peace that meets both Ukrainian and Russian security concerns and addresses borders and the status of minorities in Ukraine.

Of course, this is a war with two sides. Russia continues to launch massive attacks on Ukraine’s infrastructure and kill civilians on a daily basis.

Nor is it clear that it would accept a peace based on existing military dispositions since its territorial claims are more ambitious and made without much reference to the populations concerned.

But it is the Nato powers which appear bent on escalation to try and tip the military scales back in Kiev’s favour before Trump enters the White House.

However, few believe that extended missile strikes within Russia will be sufficient to turn the tables, at least in proportion to the dangers involved, which include provoking asymmetric Russian attacks across Europe.

Starmer appears oblivious to all this and even intoxicated by his warrior posturing. No-one on the left will take his protestations of principle seriously.

Labour’s continuing political and practical support for Israel’s war on Gaza and Lebanon and insultingly bland denial that this amounts to a genocide against the Palestinians reveals that the only principle he adheres to is fealty to Washington.

It is vital that the peace and labour movements make their voices heard more forcefully in Ukraine now. Whatever may happen once Trump takes over, the next two months are a time of maximum danger while the imbecilic “Genocide Joe” sees out his term of office.

The people must press for peace in Ukraine as a matter of urgency, on the basis of stable security for all. That is already the demand of most of the world’s nations, and it must be imposed on Labour’s warlords.