OPINION:
Last week President Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a nearly hour-long call, at Mr. Putin’s request. It was the second call in one month, as Mr. Putin looks to take advantage of Mr. Biden’s weak political stature at home and inches closer toward invading Ukraine.
Mr. Biden — like many times before — made concessions to the Russian president by saying the U.S. would not deploy any troops to Ukraine or place any missiles there and immediately taking two military options off the table as Russia looks to expand its footprint in the East.
The call comes before a series of talks between the two countries this month. There’s little doubt, Mr. Putin requested the call to set the tone for those meetings and to gather further intelligence on Mr. Biden’s potential reaction if and when he decides to invade.
Mr. Biden told Mr. Putin he faces two options: one of de-escalation and diplomacy, or one where Russia invades and is met with stringent economic sanctions and increased military aid to Ukraine. Mr. Putin has played this game before. The last time Mr. Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and Domestic Policy Council Director Susan Rice were in office, Russia seized nearby Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, giving it critical position on the Black Sea. The Obama-Biden response was pathetic. After warning Mr. Putin there were “consequences,” the former administration slapped Mr. Putin with visa denial and frozen assets for 11 people, seven of them Russian. None of them were on the leaders of the country, any oligarchs or Mr. Putin’s inner circle — no targeting of the energy sector.
Before Mr. Putin’s 2014 invasion, the Obama administration pursued the failed “Russ ..
Support the originator by clicking the read the rest link below.
