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Washington's Black Sea allies worry about being pawns in Biden-Putin chess match as summit nears
WashingtonExaminer ^ | 08 Jun 2021 | Abraham Mahshie, Defense Reporter

Posted on 06/09/2021 12:57:03 AM PDT by blueplum

BUCHAREST, Romania — Government ministers in the former Soviet and communist countries along the Black Sea basin are bracing for President Joe Biden’s meeting with Vladimir Putin of Russia next Wednesday in Geneva. But, analysts are warning them to keep their expectations low.

They hope the American president will stand for democratic ideals and support their security, but regional analysts say they may be pawns in a broader geopolitical chess match between great power rivals.

From Kyiv to Bucharest, government leaders are attempting to influence Biden ahead of the meeting, underscoring that their democracy depends on the United States and NATO...

...“Russia is playing on a great chessboard, one game, it's a great game,” said Alexander Khara, a security analyst and former Ukrainian diplomat. “And the West is playing on different boards, its own games.”

The metaphor is to say that Putin has a consistent policy from the Arctic to Africa, inciting instability that keeps a buffer between him and the West.

He also plants anti-access area denial positions to threaten NATO and partner troops. Russian S-400 air defense systems are known to exist in Kaliningrad on the Baltic Sea, in the Crimean peninsula, in Syria, and reportedly in Libya.

Khara describes these moves as “pushing the insecurity bubble towards the West.”

In response, the U.S. must negotiate with Russia to help solve security problems that analysts say Russia created.

“We should stop Russia from doing this on the whole front,” Khara added. “Russians are preparing for global conflict, and this is global conflict, not with China and not with other powers, but with the West.”

Former Romanian National Security Council adviser George Scutaru sees the Biden-Putin summit as a repeat of the failed “Russia reset” attempted by former President Barack Obama’s secretary of state, Hillary Clinton....

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonexaminer.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Russia; Syria
KEYWORDS: abrahammahshie; africa; alexanderkhara; antonyblinken; arctic; armenia; baltic; balticsea; belarus; blacksea; china; crimea; europeanunion; foreignpolicy; georgescutaru; hillaryclinton; hunterbiden; iran; libya; nationalsecurity; nato; obama; republicofgeorgia; romania; russianreset; s400; syria; turkey; ukraine; vladimirputin
I think Khara has a good grasp of the working reality of Russia. But I"m not sure how any talks between Puttie and Biden are going to work out to advantage USA, with every leader of Black Sea nations insisting on being included and for the USA talk to them, first.
1 posted on 06/09/2021 12:57:03 AM PDT by blueplum
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To: blueplum

Chess isn’t on the game table; Biden will be playing Old Maid while Putin is playing Thermo Nuclear War… “Shall we play a game?”


2 posted on 06/09/2021 1:11:35 AM PDT by Swordmaker (My pistol self-identifies as an iPad, so you must accept it in gun-free zones, you hoplophobe bigot!)
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To: blueplum
"They hope the American president will stand for democratic ideals and support their security"

BWAHAHAHAHAHA.

Biden is about self enrichment, protecting his son's right to get oral sex from Chinese actresses, and protecting him from his racist texts. Anything else is wishful thinking.

3 posted on 06/09/2021 2:10:12 AM PDT by Enterprise
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To: blueplum

Wash Examiner is Stupid Party-leaning so makes all the same mistakes - such as referring to Sleepy Joe as “President” and implying that Sleepy will do or say anything independent of his handlers or his Crime Family.


4 posted on 06/09/2021 2:13:23 AM PDT by No_Mas_Obama
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To: blueplum

Good point. Biden and Putin are my enemy.


5 posted on 06/09/2021 5:12:48 AM PDT by rrrod (6)
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To: Swordmaker

Obama played checkers, but I doubt that this demented fool understands the rules of checkers and it might overwhelm him. Expect Putin to demand that the US stay the hell out of the Black Sea, period. And Biden will order it done.


6 posted on 06/09/2021 5:17:39 AM PDT by silent majority rising
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