Heading to a G20 conference in Bali Indonesia this week, 59-year-old Secretary of State Antony Blinken finds himself in unfriendly territory, with many of the world’s biggest economies disagreeing wit the U.S. approach in Ukraine. President Joe Biden, 79, warned 69-year-old Russian President Vladimir Putin that he’d face the most crippling economic sanctions if he invaded Ukraine. Well, on Feb. 24 Putin did just that after Biden refused to renegotiate security arrangement in Ukraine and Eastern Europe. Putin and the Kremlin were irked by Biden supplying Ukraine with advanced lethal weapons, which, in Putin’s mind, would be used against the Russian Federation. Putin expressed grave concerns a bout Biden turning Ukraine into a puppet U.S. regime on his Western border. Biden ignored Putin’s warnings, causing Putin Feb. 24 to perform “military technical measures” to neutralize Ukraine’s threat.
Biden and Blinken did everything possible to sanction the Russian Federation for its Ukraine invasion, boycotting 20% of the world’s oil supply, hitting Putin with the most crippling sanctions in history. Instead of flinching, Putin pivoted to the BRICS economic bloc, including Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Afrcia, all disagreed with Biden’s economic sanctions designed to take down the Russian economy. Swooping up cheap Russia oil in record amounts, BRICS saved Putin and the Russian economy from Biden’s crippling economic sanctions. Now Blinker travels this week to the G20 where a sizable group of nations has bypassed U.S. and EU sanctions, forbidding Western nations from buying Russian oil. Blinken faces 72-year-old Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi., both of whom opposed U.S. and EU Russian sanctions.
Biden and Blinken often preach to the choir in the European Union or NATO, where they see Putin as a menace to their security. Ukraine’s 45-year-old President Volodymyr Zelensky and Biden have preached to the choir about Putin seeking to take over all of Europe especially former Soviet satellites,, much the same way Hitler did in the run up to WW II. After over four months of conflict in Ukraine, most G20 nations understand that Biden plays a dangerous game of chicken with the Russian Federation. No other EU or Western Alliance country has funded the Ukraine government and war against the Russian Federation, other than the U.S. Spending over $54 billion to date, there no limit to the amount of arms-and-cash Biden supplies Ukraine to fight the Kremlin. Many G20 countries disagree with Biden’s strategy to weaken the Russian military to the point it can’t wage war.
China’s Wang Yi has said that the U.S. encroachment on Russian security led to the Ukraine War, telling the State Department policy supplying arms to Ukraine started the conflict. “We would like to see the Russian be serious about diplomacy,” said State Department Spokesman Ned Price. Price preaches Biden’s talking point that the Ukraine War was “unprovoked and unjustified,” “We have not seen that yet. We would like to have the Russian give us a reason to meet on a bilateral basis with them, with Foreign Minister Lavrov, but the only thing we have seen emanate from Moscow is more brutality and aggression against the people and country of Ukraine,” Price said, showing why the U.S. has almost no diplomatic relations with Moscow. Price blames the entire war on the Kremlin, rather that looking at both sides. As long as the State Department points fingers at Putin, progress can’t be made.
Everyone attending G20 in Bali hopes the U.S. and Russian can get together to start a constructive dialogue. But Biden’s State Department only wants to point fingers. When you consider the U.S. supplies Ukraine with sophisticated lethal weapons to battle the Russian Federation it makes you wonder who’s the real aggressor? Putin and Lavrov take their cues from Biden’s public remarks, especially stating March 26 in Warsaw, Poland that Putin should not stay in office. So when the State Department’s officials position is one of regime change in Moscow, it’s tough to open up a dialogue. Blinken enters the G20 meetings hoping to recruit more members to condemn Putin for his war in Ukraine. G20 nations are especially concerned about the Russian oil embargo, and blockade on Ukraine’s wheat exports, something the White House says creates famine in Africa and other third world countries.
Blinken isn’t likely to make an overture to Lavrov in Bali. He thinks bilateral diplomacy with Beijing will isolate Putin more than before with certain G20 countries. “We would like the G20 to hold Russia accountable and insist that it support this initiative,” said Ramin Toloui, Assistant Secretary of State for economic and business affairs. As long as the State Department works to destroy the Russian economy, it’s unrealistic to expect any progress in U.S.-Russian relations. When Blinken tries to meet with Wang Li or India’s Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar, he won’t make much progress trying to get them to stop buying Russian oil. China and India, both part of BRICS economic bloc, have no problem doing business with Russia, seeing the Ukraine War as a one-sided affair. When Biden decided to fund a U.S. proxy war against the Kremlin, he alienated many neutral G20 countries.
About the Author
John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He’s editor of OnlineColumnsit.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.
