Just prior to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's arrival in Washington on Wednesday, the White House announced $1 billion in weapons and equipment from Pentagon stocks for Ukraine, including Patriot missiles, and $850 million in funding through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, part of which is to be used to fund a satellite communications system.

Claiming that these are "critical new and additional military capabilities to help Ukraine defend itself from Russia's ongoing brutal and unprovoked assault", US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said they "underscore our enduring commitment to the people of Ukraine".

Well no. What they underscore is the administration's commitment to prolonging the hostilities.

As Biden admitted in his joint news conference with Zelenskyy, even before the conflict began, the US provided Ukraine with a steady stream of military hardware, including air defense systems and artillery, ammunition, "and so much more" — which signaled its intent. For as Biden said, the US views the conflict as part of something much bigger — that being "the competition for the 21st century", as he said in his introduction to his administration's National Security Strategy.

Like the US, France also announced this week that it had provided more military assistance to Ukraine, with French President Emmanuel Macron saying in an interview aired on Tuesday the country had sent arms, including rocket launchers, and air defense batteries to Ukraine. But the French leader gave a more measured assessment of the crisis than Biden's admission that the US views it as a means to reinforce its hegemony.

The French leader said that Russia would require security guarantees as part of a negotiated end to the conflict and only Ukraine should define the terms of any armistice with Russia, not the country's Western backers. To those criticizing that position, he said they should "explain what they are proposing", which, as he said, is total war.

Macron has previously struck a practical note, saying on Dec 3 that Europe needs to prepare its future "security architecture", one that is inclusive and takes into consideration "security guarantees" for Russia. He said that NATO had to address Russia's concerns about the alliance coming "right up to its doors" and the deployment of weapons that could threaten it.

That echoes China's insistence that it is NATO's unrelenting expansion eastward that has pushed Russia into a corner by worsening its geopolitical and security environment and its long-standing call that both sides' security concerns should be addressed. A cease-fire and a negotiated settlement would not only be the best choice for Russia and Ukraine, but also for Europe.

But 10 months into the conflict and Biden has made it clear why the crisis will continue. The US is waging a proxy war against Russia and it will not rest until it has achieved its aims.