Joe Biden has not advocated for Ukraine to join NATO, saying Ukraine is corrupt. But I think we all know what that really means: A kickback check to Hunter Biden bounced.
Basically, this dustup between Russia and Ukraine is based on the perceived weakness of the Biden administration. The last time Russia picked a fight with Ukraine, Obama was president.
To defend itself, Ukraine wanted to buy more American military equipment. But it was made clear that, if they wanted billions of dollars of lethal U.S. military equipment from the Biden administration, Ukraine would have to acquire it like the rest of the world: by negotiating with the Afghan Taliban.
News reports say Putin is also upset with video footage of Ukrainians tearing down statues of valiant Soviet World War II generals who liberated Germany. These have been difficult years for statues of military heroes who fought either the Nazis or the Union armies.
The West does not understand Putin’s Ukraine fixation. In interviews, the ex-KGB Putin made a clear case about why Ukraine belongs back with Russia. He then followed with a thoughtful sit-down interview with Scott Pelley of “60 Minutes.” It was the most penetrating and clear interview Putin has ever had with a man who was not hog-tied to a chair.
Conversely, Biden awkwardly reads what his handlers tell him to on the matter. Mr. Biden, a communication suggestion going forward: Just flip your teleprompter around and let us read your speech. It will be less baffling.
Under Obama, Secretary of State John Kerry was so ineffective at diplomacy that he could not break up a ketchup fight at his in-laws’ Heinz family picnic. If Kerry or Obama’s first secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, were actually to have a success in foreign policy, it would have been their first. When they whined about Russia taking over a militarily significant part of Ukraine, Putin said: “Crimea river.”
It was the same reason the Iranians were able to pull the wool over Obama’s eyes with their nuclear deal. Dems are perceived to be so caught up in “woke” nothingness that strong leaders take advantage. Putin got Crimea and will likely take more now, we but we made a transgender person a general.
Donald Trump resonated with American voters because they were tired of being outwitted by the likes of Putin and other strongmen. We, too, wanted a decisive and smart leader, not one given to naive notions. We now are back to a weak leader and Putin might make a move on Ukraine, something he was unwilling to do with Trump in office.
Bush got along with Putin; Obama did not. Whenever Biden and Putin meet, there is always that awkward photo-op where they look like they have reached that point in a bad E-Harmony date when each realizes the other looks nothing like his online photo.
Putin quickly sized up Obama as having ascended to our presidency with scant accomplishments on the shoulders of America’s racial guilt. Putin sees Biden as a feeble and weak political hack. Neither Obama nor Biden has the leftist U.S. media covering for them overseas and thus are exposed to reality. Remember, Obama was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize while he was escalating three wars.
With all the corruption surrounding Hunter Biden and Ukraine, there is more porn and corruption on Hunter Biden’s laptop than in Ukraine. Joe Biden is not an honest broker here. But the U.S. media and government authorities look the other way and leave the Bidens alone. Conversely, Donald Trump might get impeached for the fourth time for just downloading my column on this matter.
As Biden goes toe-to-toe with Vladimir Putin on the world stage, we must remember that this is a government-trained thug who came of age during the Cold War, attempted a power grab to control voting ballot boxes, curtailed free speech and jailed those who protested against him without filing charges. And so did Vladimir Putin.
Given Putin’s history toward weak Democrat leaders, Biden and his handlers had best toughen up. In Putin’s Russia, the national bird is the middle finger.
Ron Hart is a syndicated op-ed humorist, award-winning author, and TV/radio commentator; you can reach him at Ron@RonaldHart.com or Twitter @RonaldHart.