Biden's Appeasement of Moscow Threatens NATO

by Con Coughlin
December 20, 2021 at 5:00 am

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/18044/russia-biden-appeasement

Western efforts to curb Mr Putin's threatening behavior... are being undermined by the Biden administration's reluctance to confront Mr Putin.
In seeking to appease Moscow, Mr Biden appears to be overlooking Washington's commitment to the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, which commits the US, as well as other allies such as the UK and France, to safeguard Ukraine's territorial integrity in return for dismantling its Soviet-era nuclear weapons arsenal. Any failure by the Biden administration to honor this solemn undertaking would further erode Washington's already tarnished credibility on the world stage.
The suggestion that Mr Biden is preparing to sell out Ukraine has enraged Washington's NATO allies in eastern Europe who are currently bearing the brunt of Russian aggression and believe, with some justification, that Mr Biden is preparing to make unacceptable concessions to Moscow, such as providing political guarantees that will curb NATO's freedom of movement and its ability to operate effectively against Russian aggression.
Indeed, it could be argued that the Biden administration's inherent weakness has been a determining factor in encouraging Mr Putin to adopt a more confrontational attitude towards the West on issues like Ukraine.
Mr Biden's evident unwillingness to defend America's interests has even prompted the Kremlin to threaten deploying intermediate-range nuclear missiles in Europe to threaten NATO.
The American president's deep-seated aversion to military confrontation also explains China's recent adoption of a more confrontational attitude on the issue of Taiwan, with Taiwanese leaders warning that Beijing could be ready to mount a full-scale invasion of Taiwan by 2025.
Nor is Beijing likely to de-escalate tensions with Taipei when all the indications suggest that Mr Biden is preparing to appease the Kremlin with regard to Ukraine.

US President Joe Biden's willingness to appease Russia over its aggressive conduct towards Ukraine is threatening to create deep divisions within the NATO alliance -- a result that would doubtless delight Russian President Vladimir Putin. Pictured: Biden and Putin share a laugh in Geneva, Switzerland, on June 16, 2021. (Photo by Peter Klaunzer/Pool/Keystone via Getty Images)

US President Joe Biden's willingness to appease Russia over its aggressive conduct towards Ukraine is threatening to create deep divisions within the NATO alliance -- a result that would doubtless delight Russian President Vladimir Putin. NATO was created specifically as a collective defense against potential Russian aggression.

With an estimated 100,000 Russian troops massed on the Ukrainian border, Western leaders have sought to present a united front to dissuade Russian President Vladimir Putin from invading Ukraine.

There is mounting concern among Western intelligence services, which is also shared by the Ukrainian government, that the presence of a well-armed Russian battlegroup close to the Ukrainian border indicates that Moscow could launch a full-scale invasion as soon as next month.

CIA Director William Burns is on record as saying he believes Mr Putin "is putting the Russian military, the Russian security services in a place where they could act in a pretty sweeping way", while Ukraine's defence minister, Oleksiy Reznikov, is predicting that "the most likely time to reach readiness for escalation will be the end of January."

To prevent such a disastrous outcome, Western leaders are keen to adopt a unified position against Mr Putin's latest act of unprovoked aggression against a neighbouring country.

At the recent meeting of G7 foreign ministers in Liverpool hosted by Liz Truss, Britain's recently-appointed Foreign Secretary, Russia was warned it would pay a severe cost if it went ahead with the invasion, with Western leaders warning of crippling economic sanctions being imposed against Moscow.

"We have been clear that any incursion by Russia into Ukraine would have massive consequences for which there would be a severe cost," Ms Truss said, adding that the countries "need to make the positive case for individual humanity and dignity which lies at the heart of our democratic free societies".

In the joint statement, the countries said that Russia must "de-escalate, pursue diplomatic channels, and abide by its international commitments on transparency of military activities".

Western efforts to curb Mr Putin's threatening behavior, though, are being undermined by the Biden administration's reluctance to confront Mr Putin.

Mr Biden's disinclination to act was clearly evident following his two-hour video conference with the Russian leader earlier this month when the US leader made it clear that no military options were being considered on Ukraine. "The idea that the United States is going to unilaterally use force to confront Russia invading Ukraine is not in the cards right now," he said.

Coming after the Biden administration's disastrous handling of the withdrawal from Afghanistan earlier this year, the fact that the White House has no interest in protecting Ukraine's sovereign integrity will come as no surprise to the Kremlin.

Indeed, it could be argued that the Biden administration's inherent weakness has been a determining factor in encouraging Mr Putin to adopt a more confrontational attitude towards the West on issues like Ukraine.

Mr Biden's evident unwillingness to defend America's interests has even prompted the Kremlin to threaten deploying intermediate-range nuclear missiles in Europe to threaten NATO.

The American president's deep-seated aversion to military confrontation also explains China's recent adoption of a more confrontational attitude on the issue of Taiwan, with Taiwanese leaders warning that Beijing could be ready to mount a full-scale invasion of Taiwan by 2025.

Nor is Beijing likely to de-escalate tensions with Taipei when all the indications suggest that Mr Biden is preparing to appease the Kremlin with regard to Ukraine.

Russia's military build-up on the Ukrainian border is widely seen as a blatant attempt to bully the Western powers into giving a commitment that Kiev will not be allowed to become a member of the NATO alliance.

Ukraine currently enjoys partner status with NATO, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has expressed interest in becoming a full NATO member, a move which would commit the alliance to protecting Ukraine's sovereign integrity.

Yet, while Ukraine is well within its rights to apply for NATO membership, Mr Putin, who regards Ukraine as historically falling within Moscow's sphere of influence, is bitterly opposed to the move, and is seeking to pressure the West into making a binding commitment not to grant Ukraine membership.

Moreover, in a clear sign that Mr Biden is more-than-willing to appease Moscow on the issue of Ukraine's NATO membership, the American president is reported to have offered to convene a joint meeting of NATO and Russian leaders to resolve the Ukraine crisis.

In seeking to appease Moscow, Mr Biden appears to be overlooking Washington's commitment to the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, which commits the US, as well as other allies such as the UK and France, to safeguard Ukraine's territorial integrity in return for dismantling its Soviet-era nuclear weapons arsenal. Any failure by the Biden administration to honor this solemn undertaking would further erode Washington's already tarnished credibility on the world stage.

The suggestion that Mr Biden is preparing to sell out Ukraine has enraged Washington's NATO allies in eastern Europe, who are currently bearing the brunt of Russian aggression and believe, with some justification, that Mr Biden is preparing to make unacceptable concessions to Moscow, such as providing political guarantees that will curb NATO's freedom of movement and its ability to operate effectively against Russian aggression.

Certainly, after the Biden administration's wanton capitulation in Afghanistan, European leaders are right to express concern that the US leader is willing to inflict similar damage on the credibility of the NATO alliance.

Such a blatant act of appeasement towards the Kremlin would simply serve to encourage adversaries such as China and Russia that they can carry on with their bully-boy antics against the likes of Taiwan and Ukraine.

Con Coughlin is the Telegraph's Defence and Foreign Affairs Editor and a Shillman Journalism Fellow at Gatestone Institute.

© 2024 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.

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Comment on this item

28 Reader Comments

Petra • Dec 25, 2021 at 19:28

Thank you for writing this article very much.

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Steven • Dec 24, 2021 at 04:56

Russia & CCP are in coordination & I believe if Russia were to invade Ukraine, they will wait until after the China Olympics, around March 2022. Russia took Crimea & must feel confident the World will do nothing if they take the rest of Ukraine OR pending invasion the West cedes to Putin's demands. Russia & China can effect dual invasions (Taiwan) thousands of miles apart to create absolute chaos. The Biden Administration showing total subservience to evil. Thanks to those "81 million" voters who elected a spineless puppet & we will pay a heavy price just because they despised/hated Trump.

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CapitalistRoader • Dec 21, 2021 at 11:57

Huh. So the Europeans might start shooting at each other again. And we should get involved why? They've been killing each other for a thousand years. Let them, and stay out of it.

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judith grayson • Dec 20, 2021 at 22:00

Putin has made quite clear his lack of respect for Joe Biden. Putin does not even like him and in that regard it has nothing to do with the interest of nations. Putin states emphatically and with great clarity that his only interest is in the defense and protection of mother Russia. his expectation is, as he has stated, that leaders will always consider the interests of their nation and the people of that nation. Mr. Biden is well known by all the players of world politics. He's been kicking around for fifty years and he is a known entity. sadly.

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CR • Dec 20, 2021 at 12:38

NATO was rendered a useless legacy bureaucracy on Dec 26, 1991. Its existence today is merely to hold out membership as a good behavior trophy to former Soviet satellite states and the prestige of which has long since worn thin.

Disband this Cold War relic already.

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Romney Dickinson

CR • Dec 20, 2021 at 23:11

Also tear down the U.N. and ALL agencies. Remove the building and every vestige of the U.N.

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D Ziedonis

CR • Dec 21, 2021 at 06:46

NATO's existence, and presence in the Baltics is the only thing keeping Russia/Putin out. Putin won't risk a face-to-face challenge to NATO/US forces.
Let's not forget it was Trump who spoke of disbanding the organization, and who embarrassingly was Putin's lapdog for the past 4 years.
Well, let's see how Biden works through this latest threat, though I have more confidence in his approach than the alternative.

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Mikial

D Ziedonis • Dec 23, 2021 at 12:46

President Trump is the only reason Putin didn't do this sooner. With Biden in the White House, and the Europeans wringing their hands for fear of being cut off from Russian gas supplies, Putin has nothing to worry about. NATO is nothing without the US and everyone knows it, and with Biden's inconsistent and poorly organized foreign policy, neither our so-called allies nor our enemies have any reason to think NATO can rely on America.

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Peter Rotberg • Dec 20, 2021 at 11:47

Dear Mr. Con Coughlin
Biden's Administration appeasement on Russia, China, Iran, Afghanistan and Turkey endanger America, its allies and the democratic world as a whole, not only NATO.
Peter Rotberg.
Friend and Supporter.

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Richard Whitney • Dec 20, 2021 at 10:53

Biden is a warmonger who voted for EVERY war during his regrettably long and undistinguished career.
Those Russian troops are on Russian soil. What are U.S. warships doing in the Black Sea? How would the U.S. feel if Russia conducted similar 'wargames' on Long Island Sound, or up the Chesapeake Bay?

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Kenneth E. Smith

Richard Whitney • Dec 20, 2021 at 23:30

Remember the Cuban Missile crisis.
A similar situation with the boot on the other foot, and remember President Kennedy's response, that had all of NATO on full Nuclear War alert.
As a young Air Force officer at the time, I remember it very well, an extremely intense time in the shadow of a possible Nuclear Armageddon

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Kenneth E. Smith

• Dec 20, 2021 at 23:22

Completely correct analysis.
This is a similar situation for Russia as the Cuban Missile Crisis was for the USA back in the 1960s.

Another point worth noting is the furore about Russia annexing the Crimea. Historically Crimea had been Russian since Catherine the Great, when it was taken from the Ottoman Empire. The population of Crimea is 80% Russian.
In 1954, Nikita Khrushchev, the then leader of the Soviet Union, and he transferred the administration of Crimea to Ukraine. Khrushchev whilst Russian, had grown up in the Donbass area of Ukraine.
It is hardly a valid argument that Khrushchev foresaw the break up of the Soviet Union, and because of his personal ties to Ukraine, made the transfer of Crimea to Ukraine for anything other than administrative convenience.

George HW Bush laid the foundation for normalisation of relations between the Russian Republic and Europe and NATO, and Bill Clinton blew the historical opportunity his predecessor created.

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D Ziedonis

• Dec 21, 2021 at 06:58

When the Soviet Union collapsed, under its own ineptness, corruption and other factors, it had no other choice than to remove its troops from the countries it occupied for almost 50 years - the Baltics and the rest of eastern Europe.
It also agreed that if Ukraine got rid of its nuclear weapons, it would leave the country in peace. So, Crimea, Donbas... ?
The former Soviet satellite countries joined NATO of their own initiative, and free will. NATO didn't force any into the group. They did this out of fear of continued Russian aggression, which has been going on for centuries.
Russia and Putin are a plague on Europe and the civilized world. Same with China under Xi.
$5 billion spent by the US on overthrowing a corrupt, Russian puppet govt in Ukraine in 2014? Nonsense. The Ukrainians were/are sick and tired of Russia's meddling, corruption and control.
Ziedonis in Riga.

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Malcolm Y • Dec 20, 2021 at 10:44

So France, Germany, Italy, Austria, Spain, Great Britain, Sweden, Norway etc are completely helpless? They can do something on their own if the situation is dire - can't they? Or is it they just want the US to take all the risks and have its men dying instead of them?

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Kenneth E. Smith

Malcolm Y • Dec 20, 2021 at 21:32

The problem is that the Armed Forces of the Western European powers are so run down and puny they don't constitute a major threat to Russia. Of the European Forces only France has maintained credible numbers. The German Forces are a joke, and Britain's once credible Forces have been cut to the bone, The Royal Navy is reduced to fewer than 20 Bluewater surface combat vessels, and a handful of submarines (50 Warships including 2 Carriers took part in the Falklands campaign, with 6 ships lost) - that puts RN strength in perspective. The RAF is hardly more credible with a mere 7 Squadrons of Modern front line combat aircraft, and the British Army is now below 70,000 all ranks. The only number in the British Forces that is excessively high is the number of Star Ranked Officers, a Navy with More Admirals than ships.
The British Armed Forces have been consistently carved back by every British Government since and including Harold Wilson's Labour Government of the early 1970s, to where they are a hollow shell of their former strength and capability. For over half a century Britain has prioritised Social security ahead of national security, outsourcing their Nation's defence to the American taxpayer.

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Jim • Dec 20, 2021 at 10:08

The problem was viewed differently by John Mearsheimer in a YouTube post. He says that the West and America are to blame. They are trying to move the Ukraine from the Russian relationship to a NATO and EU alliance that threatens Putin and thus is provoking the Russians to defend their interest in Ukraine with a buildup of military on the Ukrainian border. So, I suppose that one can see two sides of the issue.

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Lorensacho • Dec 20, 2021 at 09:17

Biden's failure to confront Putin? Biden just had a two hour meeting with Putin during which Biden threatened Putin that if Russia attacked the Ukraine the U.S. would destroy Russia's economy. In my books that's very confrontational. Compare this to the supine Donald Trump who publicly said that he believes Putin over America's intelligence agencies.

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ricardo del barco • Dec 20, 2021 at 08:16

It is regrettable, the Biden administration's refusal to defend freedom on a world scale. To give Ukraine to Russia, is to grant once more to the empire of the force. I know that the circumstances are different, but the gesture of Biden, reminds me of the conference of Munich, in which England and France accepted the annexation of the Czech Sudetenland to Hitler.

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Mark M • Dec 20, 2021 at 08:10

This article states "the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, which commits the US, as well as other allies such as the UK and France, to safeguard Ukraine's territorial integrity". This is incorrect. The Memorandum contains clauses that state that the signatories will "respect the independence and sovereignty and the existing borders of Ukraine" and "refrain from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of Ukraine". The only commitment laid on the USA, UK and France is to seek UN action if the use of nuclear weapons is threatened. Russia may have broken the agreement but that is no reason for the West to go to war. Perhaps we should do what Russia did when NATO attacked and partitioned Serbia, a fellow Slavic state, and keep out of it.

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Frederick • Dec 20, 2021 at 07:09

There is no gap between President Biden and the other G7 leaders. All of them have given Putin the same severe message and any allegation of "appeasement" applies equally to them all. But if there is an American appeaser of Putin and defender of Russia's right to dictate to the Ukraine, it is Tucker Carlson, whose denunciation of Biden for daring to offer support for the Ukraine you can read in his own words on Fox News.

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Steve • Dec 20, 2021 at 06:37

Sorry but the Budapest Memorandum isn't worth the paper it is written on. President Obama and then Vice President Biden along with Britain and other signers did NOTHING to honor the spirit and intent of the Budapest Memorandum while Putin in 2014 ignored it by illegally seizing Crimea and Eastern Ukraine. Also Putin had the Russian Legal System declare Russian Law supersedes International Law. So for now all we hear are statements of "grave concern" from the West. NATO and the West hopefully are paying attention to the concerns of the NATO members that share a border with Ukraine. I doubt they will tolerate a Russian invasion of Ukraine.

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Frederick

Steve • Dec 20, 2021 at 10:02

Steve is basically correct, except that the Budapest Memorandum had nothing to do with Obama or Biden. It was signed in 1994 by Boris Yeltsin (Russia), Bill Clinton (USA), John Major (UK) and Leonid Kuchma (Ukraine). But the text merely committed the non-Ukrainian signatories "to refrain from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of Ukraine." It did not commit either the USA or the UK to safeguard that territorial integrity or political independence if Russia should violate them, but merely promised that the four signatory states "will consult in the event that a situation arises which raising a question concerning these commitments." France and China were not even signatories, though as nuclear powers they subsequently made similar declarations. So Biden's response to the threat of a fresh violation of Russia's commitments conformed to the Memorandum, inasmuch as he did consult with Putin (December 7) and Ukrainian President Zelenskiy (December 9). Moreover, along with the rest of the G7, he warned Russia that, although they are not intending to send military forces to the Ukraine, they will impose destructive economic sanctions on Russia and send arms to the Ukraine if Russia invades. As for the Ukraine's wish to join NATO, this is what Zelenskiy heard from Biden on December 9, according to a statement by Zelenskiy's Chief of Staff Andriy Yermak: "President Biden has made it very clear that Ukraine's decision to join NATO is only a decision of the Ukrainian people, a sovereign and independent Ukrainian state. And he was not even ready to discuss this issue. And it depends on Ukraine and NATO members."

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Graham Richards

Steve • Dec 20, 2021 at 14:25

Steve, please explain why, under President Trump, Russia behaved itself and did not step out of line, but under President Joe Biden, Russia, China and others totally ignore America, secure in the knowledge that Biden is just a total fraud specialising in Foreign Policy to the detriment of the whole Western World!

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Steve

Frederick • Dec 20, 2021 at 23:20

My point about Obama and Biden is they were both POTUS and VPOTUS when Putin invaded Ukraine in violation of the spirit and intent of the Budapest Memorandum and they did nothing. And neither did anyone else. The rest of your post is informative but Putin doesn't seem to care much about the impact of sanctions. Seems he is doing just fine surviving them. I just wonder if push comes to shove would they actually cut Russia off from SWIFT versus just talking about it. It still remains to be seen if Nord Stream II will not ever come online allowing Putin to bypass Ukraine's GTS and economically harm Ukraine by the loss of Billions in transit fees. P.S. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

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Frederick

Steve • Dec 22, 2021 at 08:26

Trump's imposition of sanctions on Nord Stream 2 failed to stop it being built. Biden called off the sanctions because they were futile and sanctioning a major ally is a bad idea. The new German government, however, is itself hostile to Nord Stream 2: "the pipeline is a mistake" and "in the event of further escalation, this gas pipeline could not come into service" and its certification anyway cannot be accomplished before July. Nice to dialogue with you and Merry Christmas to you too.

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Luigi Rivella • Dec 20, 2021 at 05:46

What will happen when simultaneously China will invade Taiwan and Russia Ukraine? Could NATO troops mange properly both the invasions ?

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Kenneth E. Smith • Dec 20, 2021 at 05:38

Unfortunately the majority of those who voted Biden for President didn't care that the American president is the de facto leader of the Western World, nor comprehend the fact that by electing Biden they were simultaneously undermining the Western Alliance and America's allies.

Of course our Governments must shoulder some of the blame, as they were not prepared to accept the cost of providing adequate Defence Forces for their own countries, and were happy to shelter under the USA's defence umbrella, and abdicate the responsibility for their National Security to the USA.

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Selma Soss

Kenneth E. Smith • Dec 20, 2021 at 11:40

Thank you, Kenneth.
I couldn't agree more with what you said!

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