Rob Portman are quietly trying to play a constructive role. Meanwhile, responsible Republicans like Sen. Still, the administration can be commended for at least understanding the stakes. These are all understandable priorities, but one can see why they are not Zelenskyy’s top concerns. Given his low approval ratings, which never recovered from the Afghanistan fiasco that arguably helped invite this crisis, the administration would also like Biden not to look weak. The Biden administration at times seems more interested in proving the glories of diplomacy in all things, the solidity of the NATO alliance, and Joe Biden’s own foreign policy expertise. It’s still hobbled by guilt over World War II and entangled with Russia culturally and economically, especially because of its dependence on Russian natural gas. Germany is going its own way too, but not because it wants to preen. France, per usual, wants to prove it is a great power unto itself and demonstrate its independence by following an independent diplomatic track.
The problem is that everyone else wants to talk about the problem they want to have rather than the problem we face.
Of course, Zelenskyy has a very real incentive to solve the challenge at hand. should have implemented sanctions against Russia already, both to signal that Putin’s de facto threat of war is itself unacceptable and to give Putin a taste of how bad things could be if he keeps up his aggression. Remember, it’s Putin who invaded Ukraine in 2014 and who has actively supported insurgents in eastern Ukraine ever since. But you know what speaks even louder? Massing battalions of tanks, artillery and 100,000 troops at your border, almost surrounding a neighboring nation.Įven if that didn’t send a clear message, Russia’s claim that an invasion of Ukraine is unthinkable shouldn’t pass the laugh test. You’re waiting for it to happen, as if you want to make your words become a reality.”Ĭontrary to a growing chorus of commentators in the U.S., mostly on the right, who have rallied to Putin, this is balderdash. “You are almost pulling for this,” he said to the American ambassador to the U.N., Linda Thomas-Greenfield. on Monday, Russian ambassador Vassily Nebenzia accused America of “whipping up tensions and provoking escalation,” repeating that the last thing Russia wants is war. Putin and his subalterns claim this is defensive deployment. Sure, Russian officials insist war is the furthest thing from their minds. Zelenskyy reportedly delivered this message to Biden directly. They say simply ‘tomorrow there will be war.’ This is panic,” he said. “These signals have come even from respected world leaders, who speak openly and with undiplomatic language. On Friday, he chastised Western powers, including the U.S., for fomenting panic by talking about how a devastating war is now imminent and perhaps inevitable. Just as there are no minor casualties and little grief from the loss of loved ones.”
In response to President Biden’s gaffe about how a “minor incursion” into Ukraine would probably elicit a more restrained response from America and NATO, Zelenskyy tweeted: “We want to remind the great powers that there are no minor incursions and small nations. And yet, he seems to be the only player in this crisis keeping his eye on the ball. Zelenskyy has every reason to lose his cool. The recent deployment of troops to Ukraine’s almost undefended border with Belarus raises the possibility of a blitzkrieg strike against Kyiv, the capital. For months he has mobilized troops along the Ukrainian border. Vladimir Putin has a dagger aimed at the heart of Ukraine. One can only sympathize with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
0 kommentar(er)
