President Joe Biden, 79, and 69-year-old Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke today on telephone in advance of talks in Jan. 2020 when both countries try to dial up the diplomacy on Ukraine. Western officials and the press have been consumed with a 100,000 Russian troop build-up near the Ukrainian border. Putin has specified he wants legal guarantees from the U.S, and NATO to limit offensive and defensive weapons supplied to Ukraine. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, 59, recently met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, professing his unequivocal support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Today’s call will test how seriously the U.S. and NATO take Putin’s “red lines,” something Biden has already rejected, setting up a contentious meeting in January between U.S. and Russian diplomats, looking to avoid confrontation.
Putin has made clear that he draws “red lines” on NATO membership for Ukraine, but now has sees that Biden and NATO have provided Ukraine with offensive and defensive weapons. Today’s surveillance video from a U.S. ISTARS miliary spy plane is exactly why Putin wants legal guarantees to prevent the U.S. and NATO from more encroachment on Russia. Putin says Russia has no where to retreat and must prevent Ukraine from becoming armed with U.S. and NATO weapons. Putin is more concerned now at how the U.S. and NATO are supplying Ukraine with weapons, more than whether NATO will accept Ukraine into membership. NATO membership would require NATO to defend Ukraine in the event of another Russian invasion. Putin invaded Ukraine and seized the Crimean Peninsula March 1, 2014, in response of a CIA-backed coup.
No one in U.S., European Union [EU] or NATO has admitted that the Feb. 22, 2014 CIA-backed coup that toppled the duly elected, Kremlin-backed government of Viktor Yanukovych prompted Putin to seize Crimea. If you listen to the U.S., EU or NATO, Putin seized Crimea out-of-the-blue, without provocation. But the Western Alliance knows that Putin has his warm water naval base in Crimea, making the CIA-backed coup a threat to Russian national security. When it comes to Russia massing troop near the Ukrainian border, Putin wants the Transatlantic Alliance to know he takes U.S. and NATO involvement in Ukraine seriously, something that could very well prompt military intervention. U.S., EU and NATO don’t admit that Russian speaking population in Crime and Eastern Ukraine want no part of Zelensky’s pro-Western Kiev government.
Biden’s conversation today won’t likely give Putin the legal guarantees when it comes to Ukraine not joining NATO or U.S. agreeing to stop supplying Ukraine with offensive and defensive weapons. Biden said Dec. 8 that troops in Ukraine were not on the table, meaning that even if Putin invades Eastern Ukraine, the so-called Donbass region, the U.S. or NATO would not commit troops to expelling Russia. Biden has already committed to keeping U.S. troops out of Ukraine, giving Putin added leverage in any negotiation. Biden continued in the call today to warn Putin about severe economic consequences should Putin decide to seize more Ukrainian territory. Putin knows that Biden has been bluffing about confronting Russia militarily in Ukraine. Biden has not admitted publicly that the U.S. has no national security significance in Ukraine, whether Putin invades or not.
Biden’s in the unenviable position of being pushed around by too many foreign policy voices, all with different agenda in Ukraine. Biden spent considerable time in Ukraine while Vice President, getting his 50-year-old son Hunter and his friend Devon Archer lucrative jobs on a corrupt energy company board. But when it comes to dealing with Putin, Biden is overmatched, not considering the global consequences of creating so much tension with the Russian Federation. Putin thought Biden would be a more reasonable person to deal with than former President Donald Trump. Since taking office, Biden has insulted Putin, calling him a “soulless killer” March 16, creating unnecessary tensions with U.S.-Russian relation. When it comes to Ukraine, the U.S. should have no dog in the fight, with Biden telling Zelensky to work out his problems with Putin.
Today’s conversation between Biden and Putin highlights how far both sides are in lowering the temperature. Biden shouldn’t threaten Putin with new economic sanctions, he should tell the Russian leader he’ll take seriously his concerns in Ukraine. Biden knows that letting NATO adopt Ukraine would almost certainly result in Putin taking drastic action. All Biden has to commit to with Putin is keeping an open mind and hearing out Russia’s concerns about national security. Putin hasn’t created the tensions in Ukraine, he’s responded to Zelensky’s constant demands to join NATO. If the U.S, EU and NATO we’re really interested in peace, they should stop giving Ukraine defensive and offensive weapons, violating Putin’s “red lines.” If you listen to Western officials, Putin’s the aggressor, looking, like in 2014, to steal more Ukrainian territory.
