It’s a compelling display of support in a desert of hope: Three prime ministers from European Union countries, themselves threatened by Russia, visit Ukraine’s capital today, even as it remains under active artillery attack.
Defiant. Brave. Inspiring. Both inspiring and dangerous.
The three leaders – Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, Petr Fiala of the Czech Republic, and Janez Jansa of Slovenia – will meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal. It’s an impressive show of support for Ukraine that comes as an estimated three million Ukrainian refugees flee to their and neighboring countries.
Poland’s leader said:
It is our responsibility to make history in these critical moments for the world. Because it’s not about us, but about the future of our children who deserve to live in a world free from tyranny.
The visit comes a day before Zelensky, who is due to deliver a virtual speech to the joint session of Congress. It will incite increasing demands for visible support for Europe’s embattled country, which should have lost war days ago.
It’s also likely to increase pressure on Joe Biden to be more enthusiastically supportive of underdog Ukraine in Europe’s worst armed combat since World War II.
Biden’s disturbing list of things It is notEvery day, the number of things that you can do to support Ukraine grows. He recently nixed Poland’s desire to hand off Soviet-era Mig fighters to next-door Ukraine for fear of Vladimir Putin’s reaction.
Today was a hectic day for the American president. Three bills were signed by the president. He published a report, hailing his anti-COVID work, which was a transcript of the National Climate Task Force’s meeting.
Also, he announced that the White House will resume public tours of its premises on Income Tax Day.
Biden, a 79-year old man who took on the difficult presidency despite being warned by Barack Obama, may find himself in an extremely tough position, even though he might not realize it.
Having just demonstrated deadly indecision and poor judgment while botching the troop exit from Afghanistan, America’s longest war, Biden wants nothing to do with any chance of a new military adventure abroad. And many Americans agree with that, saying it’s not their fight to help a distant democracy under attack from a major strategic competitor.
Biden’s domestic support continues to crater over weak leadership at home and abroad while his Democrat Party faces hurricane-like headwinds in November’s midterm elections. It is not the first time an American president has attempted to improve his political standing by embarking on a foreign venture to assist an underdog democracy.
George W. Bush didn’t seek out the September 11th attack. However, his aggressive responses to it led to his approval at the 90 per cent region, and even one year later gave his political party historical gains in congressional midterm elections.
Of course, if France had said the American Revolution was not in its neighborhood when poorly-armed, ragtag revolutionaries took on the vaunted British Army in their 18th-century revolution, the United States would still be a collection of bullied British colonies, an historical event that epoxied a love of underdogs into American hearts.
Joe Biden is not a man of vision or strong leadership, which I will put it mildly. He’s been indecisive, hesitant, and tardy in foreign affairs, which we detailed here the other day. China and Russia are aware of this leadership vacuum. Putin began assembling his invasion army on Ukraine’s borders 60 days after Biden took over from Donald Trump. China has made more noise about its plans to take over Taiwan. North Korea’s ICBM testing was also resumed.
When Russia’s Putin, a former KGB colonel, first moved on Ukraine in 2014 to annex Crimea, Obama’s reaction was to impose sanctions and send Ukraine blankets and MREs. Biden’s reaction this time was to threaten more sanctions, which he did not detail but said would be very tough.
Let’s be honest here. It can be difficult to imagine the consequences of sanctions in action, especially if they are only threatened. But sanctions, especially if they’re only threatened, don’t do anything about changing bad behaviors whether they’re schoolyard bullies or European dictators. Ask Neville Chamberlain.
For sure, sanctions hurt the people under a bad guy’s rule. However, they don’t change the behavior of the bad guy. (See also Iran. Venezuela. North Korea.
Europe, too, has imposed sanctions under the newly energized leadership of the European Union Commission, which endorsed today’s leadership visits to Kyiv. But it has also shipped armaments and ammunition to Ukraine’s volunteers, to the extent that Putin has declared those movements as legal targets.
Biden sent U.S. reinforcements in Poland. He also sent some weapons to Poland late, including Stinger missiles and Javelin rockets.
Biden’s M.O. Biden’s M.O. is to refuse a need and not do anything initially, but then, under increasing pressures, eventually do it. He describes it in his notes as true leadership.
You should keep an eye out for the Polish Migs. Zelensky is a national speaker and leader, even though he was formerly a comedian. When Biden offered him an evacuation flight, he said, “I don’t need a ride. I need ammo.”
Zelensky’s remarks already got the attention of the British Parliament. EU leaders. Another well-received speech to Congress, even via video, could well change Joe Biden’s thinking, such as it is.
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