Posted on 12/31/2021 5:31:14 AM PST by Kaslin
As was reported yesterday, resident Joe Biden took a call from Russian President Vladimir Putin where the two leaders discussed the situation on Russia’s border with Ukraine, among other matters. Despite the best efforts of the State Department to put some positive spin on the discussion, it doesn’t sound as if things went very well. Both sides wound up sticking to their previous positions and Putin sounded increasingly frustrated and belligerent over what he perceives as NATO’s stubborn refusal to comply with his demands. Biden reportedly didn’t offer any additional sweeteners in an effort to cut a deal and Putin wound up warning that the relationship between Washington and Moscow could undergo a “complete rupture” if NATO pushes any further eastward. While Putin continues to insist that he has “no plans” to invade Ukraine, he’s also not pulling any more troops away from the border. In other words, the stalemate continues. (Associated Press)
resident Joe Biden has warned Russia’s Vladimir Putiin that the U.S. could impose new sanctions against Russia if it takes further military action against Ukraine, while Putin responded that such a U.S. move could lead to a complete rupture of ties between the nations.The two leaders spoke frankly for nearly an hour Thursday amid growing alarm over Russia’s troop buildup near Ukraine, a crisis that has deepened as the Kremlin has stiffened its insistence on border security guarantees and test-fired hypersonic missiles to underscore its demands.
Further U.S. sanctions “would be a colossal mistake that would entail grave consequences,” said Putin’s foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov, who briefed reporters in Moscow after the Biden-Putin phone conversation. He added that Putin told Biden that Russia would act as the U.S. would if offensive weapons were deployed near American borders.
Hearing Putin talk about a “complete rupture” in our relationship may sound alarming, but how much worse could the relationship really get short of open military conflict? Putin himself recently said that the US-Russian relationship was already at the lowest point anyone has seen since the cold war.
But should we really be giving Biden poor marks in terms of foreign diplomacy over this? My thoughts on that question have been shifting in recent months. While it’s true that nobody really wants to see this sort of tension between the world’s superpowers, the fact is that Russia has been acting in an increasingly aggressive fashion on a number of fronts and Putin hasn’t exactly been extending the hand of friendship.
We had a much more cordial relationship with Russia when Donald Trump was in office, but what did that really get us in return? Putin’s human rights record remains abysmal and the hostility of Russia toward its neighbors has been unrelenting. They have also been openly aiding our other adversaries, including Iran and Venezuela while meddling in the affairs of Turkey and its neighbors. It’s long been known that the Russians have been covertly violating international sanctions against Iran and North Korea. In short, playing nice with Russia hasn’t really gained much of anything for the west.
None of this means that we shouldn’t try to avoid warfare on Russia’s borders, of course. As I suggested yesterday, the person Joe Biden really needs to be on the phone with is Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. (And perhaps he already is behind the scenes.) If we’re to take Putin at his word – a dubious proposition on the best of days – he will pull back and not invade Ukraine if he is assured that NATO won’t offer them membership. Nobody in the west wants to deny Ukraine and the other former Soviet satellite states that option if they desire it, but no one can force Ukraine to join either. One statement from Zelensky saying that he has no plans to apply to join NATO could potentially defuse the entire situation.
We probably have a bit more time to find a solution. Even if Putin plans to invade, most analysts seem to believe that he will wait until March or April to do so. The weather is currently pretty brutal to launch a military campaign, so we may have a few months to work out a non-military solution to this standoff.
Russia cannot afford to invade. Unless of course, Biden forces the price of oil higher. Russia is not a superpower anymore. They are barely a regional power. They should be treated as such.
“Putin’s human rights record remains abysmal ...”
Putin is against pedophilia,
as practiced by Xiden and kin.
Raped and eaten children have (had) rights, too.
How can anyone sustain a 50 minute conversation with Joe Biden whose mind will check out within 5 minutes of opening the conversation? Did they hand the phone over to Ron Klain after Biden started rambling on with Vlad about how he once was a long haul truck driver?
Are you telling me that I cannot protect my borders? Maybe look at your own policy of NOT protecting your borders. How's that working out? And Mexico is your friend. But cartels are not.
> How can anyone sustain a 50 minute conversation with Joe Biden... <
If the White House was smart, they’d have a team of Joe Biden voice impersonators on staff. Is Rich Little still available?
A must read on the situation in Ukraine written by former US ambassador to Russia and a career foreign service officer.
Let’s not forget it was Putin that initiated the call. The bet here is that he told Biden he’s taking Ukraine and warned against any interference from the US. With Biden and our dipshit Secretary of State Blinken, Secretary of Defense Austin, we are at our weakest.Our military is more concerned with purging the military of anti vaxxers and pro Trumpers.
More like Putin was pissed that he wasted his time talking to an ignorant scarecrow.
Ironic part is that team biden wanted to discuss Russia’s border while our border is being ignored.
Did Biden go home to get his shinebox?
Just like we showed those Afghans, ...
The thought of Biden prosecuting such a war is scary. Ukraine isn’t worth it, at least not to me. It may be worth it to corrupt fat cat politicians that hide their money in Delaware.
I'd love to see the full behind the scenes audio/video of Joe's handlers feeding him his lines. Translation gives them extra time to fake the dialogue.
Ukraine is a European problem, not an American problem.
How bout the almighty European Union muster up the backbone to defend their own interest...whatever the hell it is.
$30 Trillion in debt with $160 Trillion in unfunded liabilities and these @$$ hats are about to lead us into yet another war. Good grief!
NATOizing Ukraine (and Finland and Sweden) may just be the proverbial “bridge too far,” at least now. We will see…
I tend to agree...Putin simply put down his markers. He probably indicated no weapons transferred to the Ukraine, no use of NATO forces within Ukraine, and no further sanctions. Joe has no cards to lay on the table, and this whole thing is finished unless the US gets really stupid.
After Biden’s Afghan debacle, Putin sees a historic opportunity to expand Russia’s borders and cement his own legacy, and I am guessing he may well actually invade.
Hypothetically, would it be un-American for one to be really kinda on Vlad’s side in this deal, or at least to see his point?
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