President Biden is having none of Vladimir Putin’s nonsense on this one
While Russia has brazenly tried to fool surrounding European nations into thinking they are gradually backing down from their preposterous standoff with Ukraine, Vladimir Putin is actively increasing the number of tanks on the Ukrainian borders. A key to understanding how he operates – in a way not too different from the former guy – is to remember that the worst thing he can do is appear weak before his enemies.
That’s probably more crucial to him than ever before after the collapse of nearby Kazakhstan’s pro-Putin regime. He thought he could keep up this ruse by getting the West to agree to a summit – as in his mind, the first side willing to talk is automatically the weaker side, giving him the leverage he needs to double down.
Russia’s cheerleaders are desperately trying to paint Russia as the real victim despite it pulling the exact strong arm tactics it tried nearly a decade ago, but unfortunately for Putin, the current president of the United States isn’t being goaded.
On Monday, after giving several speeches in defense of NATO and publicly condemning the actions of Putin, President Biden turned the heat up a bit more – refusing the proposal for a summit between Russia and the US put forth by French President Emmanuel Macron, unless Putin agrees to bring his troops home. While his detractors like to compare him to the former guy, the difference in this area could not be starker – President Biden will not elevate enemies of democracy who do not commit to their word.
James Sullivan is the assistant editor of Brain World Magazine and an advocate of science-based policy making