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President Joe Biden is suggesting a tougher Western posture in the conflict with Russia, adding on pressure to discourage Vladimir Putin from invading Ukraine, in a policy that risks hastening a hazardous spiral of escalation.
The White House reversal comes as Biden is under intense pressure from Republicans to show greater resolve in the fight, and it comes after a week in which he was publicly chastised for hurriedly retracted statements that aided Russian President Vladimir Putin’s goals of fracturing NATO.
Several Republicans accused the President of exhibiting weakness and accommodating Putin during his Sunday talk show appearances. Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo struck an unusual tone when he described Putin as a “very accomplished statesman” who knew how to use power. GOP criticisms of Biden overlooked the party’s tolerance of ex-President Donald Trump’s craven obedience to Russia’s leader, and some appeared to be an attempt to use a national security crisis to hurt Biden politically ahead of the 2022 midterm elections and the 2024 presidential election.
Over the weekend, a succession of gestures, words, and signals from Washington and Europe highlighted the situation’s growing risk at a time when there appears to be little real diplomatic engagement to halt its rapid worsening.
The State Department said on Sunday that it was authorized the departure of non-essential personnel and family members from its embassy in Kyiv, warning that in the case of a Russian invasion, the mission’s ability to assist Americans in the nation would be restricted. Another noteworthy event was the announcement by administration officials that the President had reviewed possibilities for deploying between 1,000 and 5,000 soldiers, as well as planes and ships, to US allies in the Baltic nations and Eastern Europe.
Meanwhile, Britain warned that it had evidence that Putin was attempting to install a puppet leader in place of Ukraine’s legitimately elected President Volodymyr Zelensky. And the chief of Germany’s military was forced to retire after making pro-Russian remarks in a scenario that suggested a cover-up of fundamental divides inside the West on how to deal with Putin.
