Scrambling to find more ways to punish the Russian Federation for its Feb. 24 war in Ukraine, 79-year-old President Joe Biden faces the dismal reality that his Western sanctions against 69-year-old Russian President Vladimir Putin have failed. Biden’s abysmal relations with Russia and China have driven both countries into a military and economic alliance, with Moscow and Beijing agreeing that payments for natural gas from Gasprom, will now be in Russian rubles and Chinese yuan. Not only have Biden’s crippling sanctions failed, his poor relations with Russia and China have driven both U.S. adversaries into a strategic military and economic alliance. Generations of U.S. presidents have maintained cooperative ties with U.S. up until Biden. Biden decided from Day One that Russia and China were U.S. enemies incapable of maintaining normal diplomatic relations.
Biden took office Jan. 20, 2021, promptly saying March 18, 2021 that Putn was a “soulless killer” and China committed genocide against Muslim Uyghurs in Westsern China. Hosting a get-to-know-you summit in Anchorage, Alaska March 18, 2021, 59-year-old Secretary of State Anton Blinken and 45-year-old National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan accused China of genocide on Muslim Uyghurs. Since then, China has had virtually no diplomatic relations with the U.S., culminating in Feb. 22 when Biden decided to boycott China’s Beijing Winter Games. Putin attended the games, developing strong military and economic ties to Beijing. How can any U.S. elected official believe that it’s American’s best interest to have wrecked U.S.-Chinese and U.S.-Russian relations? Biden has done something no other U.S. president has done since WW II, wreck U.S. diplomatic relations with Russia and China.
Russia’s state-run gas giant Gazprom confirmed that it will take payment for natural gas supplies in rubles and yuan, now that Moscow cut off the spigot to Europe. Germany was especially impacted with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz canceling his predecessor Angela Merkel’s $11 billion Nord Stream II pipeline. Scholz cancelled the Nord Stream II two days before Putin invaded Ukraine Feb. 24, pushing Putin to reconsider gas sales to Germany and other EU countries. Whatever one thinks of the Ukraine War, it’s caused economic misery on both sides of the Atlantic. EU an British Pound Sterling have crashed against the U.S. dollar,, largely because both countries face runaway inflation and recession in 2022. Taking sides in the Ukraine War has harmed the U.S. and EU economies, prompting countries like China, India, Brazil, South Africa and others to remain neutral.
When it comes to the Ukraine War, Biden decided early on to take on the Russian Federation. Once the Kremlin heard Biden March 26 saying Putin should no longer remain Russian president, they got the message that the Ukraine War was more than helping Ukraine preserve its sovereignty and territorial integrity. Biden’s remaks were followed up with 69-year-old Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin April 26 saying the aim of the U.S. mission was to degrade the Russian military to the point it could no longer wage war. So, the Ukraine War got serious for the Kremlin, knowing that Biden’s intent of supplying arms and cash to Ukraine was toppling the Russian Federation. When it comes to Russia’s strategic alliances, Biden’s Ukraine policy pushed Russia and China into an economic and military alliance, now circumventing U.S. and EU sanctions by doing business in rubles and yuan.
Whatever arrangements the EU had with Russia in the past for natural gas, it’s been taken off the table by Putin, largely due to the EU taking sides in the Ukraine War against Russia. Germany and other EU countries are scrambling to make up natural gas supplies, before winter hits in Europe. Putin continues to do business with Turkey, a NATO member, but close ally of Putin. Biden has done everything to stop countries from doing business with the Kremlin, something resisted by many non-aligned countries not interested in taking sidea. If the White House had any diplomatic relations with China, Beijing could have put pressure on Putin to end the Ukraine War. But with the U.S. antagonizing Beijing over Taiwan, China no longer can be counted on for U.S. diplomacy. Biden made certain that that Russia and China would develop a new military and economic alliance.
Biden finds himself in the unenviable place of burning bridges to U.S. adversaries, something counted on by generations of U.S. presidents since WW II. Pushing China and Russia into a strategic military and economic alliance, Biden has severely damages U.S. national security. While the U.S. media wants to keep the focus on Trump’s Aug. 8 Mar-a-Lago raid, the real damage to U.S. national security comes from the White House. Watching Russia and China enter into a strategic military and economic alliance has harmed U.S. leverage around the globe. Russia agreed to buy up $70 billion in yuan, China’s state-controlled currency, suggesting that Putin has no cash-flow problems from Biden’s economic sanctions. U.S. and EU officials must rethink ita Ukraine War strategy that’s cost the West dearly with runaway inflation and recession, doing nothing to harm Putin’s economy.
About the Author
John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He’s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.
