Putin Sizes Up Biden, Invades Ukraine

Weakness invites aggression. New in FrontPage:

Russian troops are advancing briskly into Ukraine. Vladimir Putin has brushed off Old Joe Biden’s sanctions and made it abundantly clear that he is not afraid of Biden, as Democrat operatives and their propaganda arm, the establishment media, have long insisted.

This is what happens when America has a feeble president, an obvious figurehead, and our military is compromised by Leftist ideologues. Clearly Putin is taking advantage of Biden’s obvious weakness and the decimation of our Armed Forces by wokeness and Covid hysteria. He knows that there is little likelihood that Biden will touch off World War III by committing American troops to the defense of Ukraine. Putin also likely considers that even if the American military does end up confronting Russian forces, that the U.S. military’s concentration on pushing Critical Race Theory and other Leftist agendas on the troops, as well as the culling that took place due to vaccine mandates, have left our military in such a weakened, distracted, and confused state that it will not pose any significant threat anyway.

Meanwhile, Putin emphasized in his remarks announcing the beginning of the operation against Ukraine that “in December 2021 we once again made an attempt to agree with the United States and its allies on the principles of ensuring security in Europe and on the non-expansion of NATO. Everything was in vain. The US position did not change. They did not consider it necessary to negotiate with Russia on this important issue for us, continuing to pursue their own goals and disregarding our interests.”

If this is an accurate summation of what happened, and there is no reason to believe that it isn’t, then the fecklessness of the Biden administration’s foreign policy is as much to blame for this conflict as Putin is. The questions must be asked: was it really necessary to begin maneuvering to incorporate Ukraine into NATO, and to ignore all Russian entreaties that may have led to the formulation of an agreement that was mutually acceptable to both parties? Were State Department officials too preoccupied with implementing the woke agenda to bother to negotiate with Putin over NATO?

The establishment media is portraying Putin as the reincarnation of Adolf Hitler and doing its level best to stir up war hysteria, but even if he is the new Hitler, which is by no means obvious, his conflict with Ukraine is not our fight. The only American interest in the region is our need for Russian oil, which Joe Biden himself has created by closing the Keystone Pipeline and ending the energy independence we had achieved under President Trump. There is no chance that Biden will reopen the Keystone Pipeline, so it is unlikely that he will risk a confrontation with Putin that could jeopardize our energy supplies. And Putin knows that, too.

Donald Trump has left us the example of an America-First president; keeping the best interests of Americans at the fore, Trump challenged our putative NATO allies to contribute their fair share for their own defense, and he did not threaten Ukraine’s security or unnecessarily provoke Russia by insisting on Ukraine’s inclusion in NATO.

The current situation can be ascribed to Biden’s rejection of the America-First principle and determination to ensure benefits for the military-industrial complex. A new Cold War with Russia will almost certainly secure profits for that sector for some time to come, but Biden and his Leftist handlers and allies are playing an extremely dangerous game. They’re playing chicken with a man who doesn’t appear to be easily cowed or intimidated. They’re trading on the historical memory of American power at a time when Leftism has corroded that power to the extent that it is not at all certain that America would prevail in a confrontation with its old Cold War adversary.

Meanwhile, Putin issued his own threat: “Now a few important, very important words for those who may be tempted to intervene in the ongoing events. Whoever tries to hinder us, or threaten our country or our people, should know that Russia’s response will be immediate and will lead you to consequences that you have never faced in your history. We are ready for any turn of events. All necessary decisions in this regard have been made. I hope that I will be heard.” Will he be? Doubtful, in the White House today.

It could be that after Ukraine, Putin will call the security bluff and challenge our Leftist-run, wrongheaded military. The consequences could be catastrophic.