Russia/Ukraine: On the Edge of Disaster

On Thursday US time the Russian Federation initiated an all out assault and invasion on the sovereign nation of Ukraine. This is an egregious act of war that has left the civilized world outraged and defiant to this treachery and act of barbarism. The actions by Russia will not stand not now or ever. The terrorists and thugs that have taken control of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions should pay a heavy price. Our actions must outmatch more than just economic sanctions.

Diplomatic relations with Russia have been shut off between Ukraine and Russia and the same should happen with the United States. We must crush the Russian economy by sanctioning its energy sector where it is heavily reliant on Russian oil and natural gas. Use of force must be and always a last resort when everything else has failed. It is clear that diplomacy failed weeks ago when the United States and France failed to achieve a diplomatic peace with Russia.

Russia is in violation of the Minsk accords, it's violated the sovereignty of a foreign country, and has threatened the security of all of Europe and the civilized world.

But who is to blame for this unprecedented calamity?

This administration’s failed foreign policy helped lead to this crisis. The President’s failure to sanction President Putin and his cronies in the Kremlin should’ve happened weeks ago when intel reports were reporting of an imminent invasion. Not wait until today hours before the Russian army is poised to take Kyiv in an all out assault and potential coup of their government and federal administration. The President refused to directly sanction Putin until today two days after the initial invasion of Ukraine.

The President has up unto this point only sanctioned Russia’s banking system (and now Putin himself). We should’ve placed US troops on the eastern flank months ago and placed warships in the Black Sea to send a signal to Moscow that their aggression would not be tolerated.

The administration’s Europe policy of softening relations with Germany which is a questionable ally given they do business with the Kremlin especially in regards to the Nord Stream pipelines which Germany just sanctioned almost two days ago is a project that should’ve never been allowed to take off and did at the direction of European nations that green-lighted the permits and for Germany that allowed for its construction. Biden’s issuance of a waiver on Nordstream sanctions a year ago have proven disastrous. And now the US imports oil from Russia while at the same time begging OPEC for oil as he’s terminated leases on oil production here in the US, shutdown the Keystone XL pipeline, and declared war on American energy production and ended our hard fought efforts for energy independence.

This administration failed to keep the pressure on NATO allies to bolster their NATO spending up unto this point and Germany has lightened up on its defense contribution and spending to NATO since Biden took office. In addition, our diplomatic personnel in Kyiv should’ve been evacuated over two months ago when intelligence came forth about an impending invasion.

The western community’s appeasement and softness on dictators from Venezuela to China to Russia to Iran and more gave way for the world’s worst actors to take advantage of the west and made it easier for them to attain concessions. One of the ways this has happened has been allowing bad actors to serve on the UN Security Council that have veto power. Russia has no business chairing the council and they should have their membership revoked. You do not negotiate with tigers when your head is in its mouth. Dictators cannot be reasoned with. The only thing dictators recognize is military might.

Joe Biden sent Vice President Harris to Germany over an experienced Russian diplomat to negotiate with Germany and Russia to obtain a diplomatic solution and failed. This was a naive and pathetic move on behalf of the United States. Also our sharing of intelligence with Beijing was both reckless and naive on our part.

Dictators don’t care about pesky banking sanctions. Putin has believed Ukraine is a “made-up country” for years. He’s always intended to recreate the Russian Empire since he’s been President and Prime Minister since 2000. This isn’t new. He knows his country’s economy is shrinking and he’s losing influence in Europe and the world. It’s why he’s acting this way. He doesn’t give a damn about Joe Biden because he knows he is weak because he is.

This administration’s foreign policy potentially could not have deterred Putin from invading Ukraine and committed the war crimes he is now committing, but this President’s clueless, disgraceful, naive, and detached foreign policy has left America less secure and more at risk now more than ever. Now we face the greatest crisis since September 1, 1939. The world looks to America for leadership and today it's almost absent. If we won’t stand up for democracy and freedom that vacuum will be filled by someone else.

It has been this nation’s responsibility since the end of the Second World War to defend democracy and freedom wherever it is under siege. The institutions that were designed in the aftermath of that war being the UN and NATO have lately as in the past many years failed to stem authoritarian destruction. These institutions are too important to let fail. They are in vital need of reform and have for years.

We must do our part as the leader of the free world to defend the defenseless against the onslaught of aggression. Authoritarian regimes have no regard for human life, human rights, or human dignity. Freedom and democracy will triumph in this hour of critical danger for the international post-war order which is now crumbling and overall for Europe and the world itself.

But now because of our failure to lead the chickens have come home to roost and they’re hungry.