President Joe Biden has offered a lackluster response to new evidence of Russian war crimes in Ukraine. Contrary to the conspiracy theories offered by some, the evidence for these atrocities is abundant and clear.
Yet, when asked by a journalist on Monday what sanctions he would propose in reaction to Russian atrocities, Biden could do no better than “I’ll let you know.”
This callous contrast with U.S. allies is notable. Facing credible evidence of the Russian rape, torture, and murder of hundreds of civilians in the Kyiv suburb of Bucha, President Emmanuel Macron of France has called for an end to European imports of Russian oil and coal. Supported by his Green Party coalition partner, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has hinted he will support such a step. Also on Monday, France and Germany expelled dozens of intelligence officers from the respective Russian embassies in their nations. At the same time, Britain is leading calls for the delivery of longer-range artillery and anti-ship weapons to Kyiv. These would enable Ukrainian forces to destroy Russian logistics convoys more effectively.
So if even the normally hesitant French and Germans are ready for far tougher action against Moscow, why is Joe Biden so afraid to do the right thing?
In his inaugural address, Biden claimed that he would “repair our alliances and engage with the world once again, not to meet yesterday’s challenges, but today’s and tomorrow’s.” Well, here is his chance. The great foreign policy challenge of the age is upon us. It is the struggle between violent Russian imperialism and Ukrainian democratic sovereignty — the outcome of which China is watching closely and weighing its plans for the conquest of Taiwan. This is a struggle that Beijing and Moscow both openly admit will help shape the 21st-century international order.
So why is Biden dropping the ball?
Biden doesn’t appear to recognize the historic stakes at play. Throughout the Ukraine crisis, Biden has shown a willingness to let Russia force his hand rather than vice versa. He has repeatedly slow-rolled the delivery of more advanced weapons to Ukraine, then limited the quantity of weapons supplied. As an example, the United States recently delivered a small but highly capable aerial combat drone to Ukraine. But it only delivered 100 of these “Switchblade” weapons. That limited number reflects the White House’s obsessive focus on not overly aggravating Russia. At what point will Biden realize that is now a moot point?
Biden should be looking for every possible way to help Ukraine send the Russians into full flight, to force Putin into negotiations that put him at a disadvantage. Biden knows quite clearly what that would entail. Ukraine, now well into its second month of war, has made it clear to him.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wants more ammunition for anti-tank and anti-air systems that troops can carry with speed and deliver with devastating effect. He wants longer-range artillery systems, more drones, and armored units that can punch through the Russian front lines and force the continued retreat of those forces. Replacement fighter jets also loom large, though the reticence of NATO members to provide aircraft to Ukraine remains a sticking point.
On the diplomatic front, Ukraine wants a far more comprehensive approach to isolating Russia from the international community. It wants the oligarchs stripped not only of their yachts and mansions but of their assets held in foreign shell accounts and businesses — including in Israel. It wants Russian ships forced to float around the oceans, unable to dock, deliver, repair, or resupply. He wants Russian diplomats expelled at scale — something that the Biden administration has been unwilling to join European powers in doing. It wants Russia to be made a pariah in practice, as well as in words.
Ukraine wants Vladimir Putin to understand that he cannot win — that the more the Russian president insists on salvaging some meager victory, the greater the risk to his military, his power structures, and Russia’s economy.
But Biden, despite having the power to make this happen, seems intent upon drawing defeat from the jaws of victory. He must find the courage to make a better choice.
