With Biden appearing in Belgium on March 24th, he and several other European Union leaders stood in solidarity to help Ukraine and push Russia back down. The group is looking to target members of the Russian parliament, as well as the gold reserves of their central bank. For the US Biden is committing to provide food, medicine, water, and other supplies to the war-torn country.
Above all that the US has decided that we can find the money to take in 100,000 Ukrainian refugees. After the debacle with refugees from Afghanistan and not even getting our own people out of there, how does Biden intend to ensure we don’t end up taking some Russians or others who would look to do the country harm? The cold reality is he can’t find a way and he won’t.
This response comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed this emergency NATO summit. “It feels like we’re in a gray area, between the West and Russia, defending our common values. This is the scariest thing during a war — not to have clear answers to requests for help!” While NATO and the US especially are stuck between a rock and a hard place on helping Ukraine, the efforts of this administration are showing some level of commitment.
The downfall of not being able to provide better help lies squarely on the shoulders of President Biden. We may inadvertently take in a few Russians or those with less than noble motives for wanting to come here but given the alternatives and the ability to vet them inside Ukrainian bordering countries like Poland and holding them there until the all-clear is given is a step in the right direction. Previous policies along with the agreements with NATO are the biggest things hindering the US from providing direct support.
Given their mutual agreement with China, Russia has a large army at the ready to come to their defense. Given the nuclear capabilities and willingness to press the button if cornered, this is something the US cannot take lightly. We can certainly stand toe-to-toe with anyone in conventional warfare, we also have a duty to NATO and other nations not to provoke these bullies, but to try and reason with them before resorting to violence when needed.
Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg in NATO is recognizing the new threats they are now facing. “We gather at a critical time for our security. We are united in condemning the Kremlin’s unprovoked aggression and in our support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.” This condemnation is a critical step towards not only more sanctions but also for NATO to potentially swoop in and protect Ukraine. They are starting to realize that losing the one country bordering Russia and Europe that is not in NATO would be a very bad thing for them.
There will be several other meetings while in Belgium for President Biden and others. With different agendas at each meeting, there is a heavy potential for ground to be gained, but there is limited ability to fix things until they come together as a group and make a joint decision about what the best long-term response to Russian aggression will be.
One thing we know for certain, Biden is doing what he can to not be responsible for anything in Ukraine. Given his son’s previous ties to the country, as well as his own it’s no shocker he won’t directly contribute to helping them recover. Instead, he will do everything he can to offer lip service and selective options. If he can get Russia backed down and use this as a smokescreen to push pieces of his Green New Deal through in the background, then all the better in his mind, as well as the mind of the rest of the liberals.
