Russian President Vladimir Putin, 69, put 79-year-old President Joe Biden, the European Union [EU] and NATO on notice that if Ukraine joins NATO or if the Alliance continues to supply lethal weapons near the Russian border, it could trigger a war. Biden and his 59-year-old Secretary of State Antony Blinken have been playing around with Putin, refusing to make good-faith compromises to deal with the so-called Ukraine crisis. Biden and Blinken insist that they’ve given Putin a “path for diplomacy” but have ignored his request that Ukraine not be given NATO memberships, but, more importantly, that they stop supplying Ukraine with lethal weapons with which to wage war against the Russian Federation. Putin’s latest statement should resonate in Washington, Brussels and NATO where they haven’t taken the Ukraine situation seriously, ignoring Russia’s security requests.
Biden, so far, has ignored Putin’s requests for security guarantees, especially an agreement to prevent Ukraine from joining NATO. When you think about Putin’s requests, they’re minor concessions when you consider Ukraine has no national security to the U.S. or EU. Under White House influence, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has made some indefensible statements about NATO “principles,” that he cannot compromise on NATO open membership policies. Like Biden, Stoltenberg has been sticking his head in the sand about NATO’s prospects for war with the Russian Federation. Putin made clear today that without serious negotiations about Russian security, NATO could finds itself fighting a war with Russia on the European Continent. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has warned Biden that Russia will not dither much longer.
Biden, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and Stoltenberg have been playing a dangerous game of chicken with Putin. But Putin is dead serious about NATO encroachment in Ukraine and Eastern Europe. Joint security interests require the U.S., EU and NATO to play a balancing act with Russian national security. With the current situation in Ukraine, the U.S., EU and NATO have overstepped their boundaries and now face the very real prospects of war on the European Continent. Europeans know all about war on the Continent, losing over 100 million in two world wars. “Imagine that Ukraine becomes a NATO member and launches those military operations,” Putin said a Kremlin press conference with Hungary Prime Minister Viktor Orban. ”Should we fight NATO then? Has anyone thought about it?” asked Putin. Putin’s remarks send a loud message to Washington and Brussels.
Biden said without evidence two weeks ago at a White House press conference that a Russian invasion of Ukraine was “imminent,.” Ukraine’s 43-year-old President Volodymyr Zelensky pushed back Jan. 26, telling Biden that he didn’t think a Russian invasion was “imminent,” telling Biden that his statements sowed panic in Kiev. Putin has repeatedly told the Western Alliance that no invasion of Ukraine was contemplated, despite his troop build up inside Russia near the Ukrainian border. Putin has said the troops are mobilized to send a loud message to Washington that arming Kiev is unacceptable. No Western nation, including the U.S., has confirmed the numbers of Russian troops mobilized near the Ukrainian border. Western officials and press concluded that an invasion was growing near. Biden has not negotiated in good faith with Putin as of yet.
European Commission President Usula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel have gone along with Biden, not knowing what’s at stake for the European Continent. What’s preventing Biden from taking Putin’s requests for security guarantees seriously? As Lavrov said, the Kremlin’s patience is running thin but it’s still not too late to show some good faith. Lavrov responded to the U.S. response offering no concessions on Ukraine to talking about future arms control talks. Lavrov said the U.S. response would be reviewed carefully by Putin before a formal response goes to Washington. With Ukraine not granted NATO membership for the last eight years since Putin annexed Crimea March 1, 2014, Putin knows that Ukraine’s NATO membership is not in the cards. But Putin’s more concerned now that Ukraine has been armed by NATO to the teeth.
Washington and NATO have nothing to lose giving Putin formal security guarantees that Ukraine will not be given NATO membership for the foreseeable future. At the same time, Putin expects the U.S. and NATO to stop arming Ukraine with offensive and defensive weapons, all designed to repel a Russian invasion. All the hype about a Russian invasion has sowed confusion in Ukraine and around the European Continent. “I hope that we will eventually find a solution, although we realize that it’s not going to be easy,” Putin said, whether or not he’d get the security guarantees from the U.S. and NATO to begin withdrawing Russian troops from the Ukrainian border. Biden hasn’t taken the threat of war on the European Continent seriously, refusing to compromise on preventing Ukraine from joining NATO, but, more importantly, stopping the arms flow into Ukraine.
