Biden needs to give Putin something to worry about
Russian President Vladimir Putin is doubling down on his war against Ukraine. In recent days and weeks, the Kremlin has telegraphed that Kharkiv City and Chasiv Yar in the Donbas are next on Putin’s list to be "liberated," or in other words reduced to piles of rubble.
Moscow continues to bomb both cities as it prepares to launch a new major spring or summer counteroffensive. On Monday, Moscow upped its messaging by destroying a civilian TV tower in Kharkiv. Earlier in April, eight Ukrainian civilians in the city were killed and 10 wounded by Russian attacks.
Olga Skabeyeva, Putin’s favorite TV propagandist, pitched these latest attacks in Kharkiv as part of Russia’s efforts to create a “sanitary zone” in eastern Ukraine. In any other language, Putin’s "Iron Doll," as he likes to think of her, is admitting Moscow is preparing to intensify the Kremlin’s genocidal war against Ukrainians.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov simultaneously was echoing the same ominous wording. As the Institute for the Study of War observed, it was not a coincidence. Lavrov bluntly asserted that Kharkiv “plays an important role” in Moscow’s plans to impose a “sanitary zone” in Ukraine.
But Kharkiv City and Chasiv Yar are only intended as stepping stones. Putin will not stop his genocidal military campaign until all of Ukraine is turned into a so-called "sanitary zone," and even then, he will continue looking westward and south toward Moldova and Georgia to complete the trifecta.
President Biden and his national security team are facing a moment of truth in Ukraine. Simply funding the war in Ukraine without changing the dynamics will likely result in Putin winning over time.
The storm in Ukraine is gathering and the president must determine whether he has the will and conviction to face it and see Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his generals through to victory. Yes, Biden has extended a lifeline to Ukraine, but he has done so while creating conditions for a forever war that Kyiv cannot ultimately win.
Funding a defensive war, as we have repeatedly warned, was never going to be enough to stop Putin in Ukraine or elsewhere in eastern Europe and the Caucasus. Ukrainian victory, on the other hand, can and will. But that outcome will require a radical shift in strategic thinking in the White House and among the president’s national security team.
Biden can get there by drawing a red line in Kharkiv. For now, the city still stands. But soon, its landscape if left unchecked, will be as desolate as Bakhmut and Avdiivka are now after Russia's indiscriminate artillery barrages.
It is time for Washington and Brussels to become bold. Funding is in hand and now Biden must turn that funding into a winning hand for Ukraine.
A NATO-enforced no-fly zone, to protect Ukraine’s major population centers from Russian missile and drone attacks, is one course of action that should be considered. The West cannot continue to look away as Putin commits wholesale genocide in Ukraine by intentionally targeting civilians, weaponizing food and causing widescale ecological disasters such as destroying in June last year the Nova Kakhovka Dam on the river Dnipro in the south of the country near Kherson.
France could lead the way in this initiative if Biden will not. Emmanuel Macron, to his great credit, has recognized the importance to Europe’s overall security of defeating Putin in Ukraine.
Ukraine, by staving off Russia for now from threatening the Baltic States and Poland, deserves the same level of stalwart protection Israel received from the U.S. and the United Kingdom. Clear demarcation lines could be set. U.S. and NATO air assets would only be used to shoot down incoming Russian drones, cruise missiles and ICBMs targeting civilian Ukrainian population centers and infrastructure.
Biden could also send a clear message to Putin by publicly announcing his intent to support a Ukrainian victory, and the removal of all Russian troops from the Donbas and Crimea. As retired Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, the former commander of U.S. Army Europe has often stated, Crimea is the “decisive terrain” of this war.
By doing so, Biden would at last stop being so predictable. Presently, Putin knows that the White House — and particularly Jake Sullivan, the president’s national security advisor — is gripped by escalation fears. Biden must change that equation.
Threatening Crimea would do just that. It will also force Putin’s military planners to reconsider whether or not Moscow’s likely forthcoming counteroffensive against Kharkiv is worth further exposing the peninsula.
Putin played that game against the West, using the Oct. 7 attacks in Israel a distraction under which to launch his assault on Avdiivka days later. Now, Biden can and must turn the tables on Putin in Crimea.
Biden will not deter Putin by simply saying “don’t.” His "don't" already did not stop Iran from directly attacking Israel. Nor has it stopped North Korea’s brinksmanship with Japan and South Korea, nor China’s harassment of Filipino shipping in the South China Sea and machinations against Taiwan.
Anything would be more persuasive than Biden's "don't." Most persuasive of all would be for Ukraine to destroy immediately the Kerch Bridge connecting the Crimean Peninsula to Russia’s mainland. That would give Putin his own gathering storm to worry about. The introduction of ATACMS by the U.S., an additional 1,600 Storm Shadow missiles from the UK, and F-16 fighter jets already makes that course of action realistic.
The addition of these precision deep-strike weapons and munitions also allows Ukraine to win the interdiction war. And to strike back at Russian drone, cruise missile and ICBM launch sites – and key command and control and logistic centers such as the port city of Rostov-on-Don located on the Sea of Azov.
Biden and his national security team, alongside NATO, now own the outcome of this war, win or lose. Congress gave Biden all of the funding he sought and more, and on a bipartisan basis. He is now out of excuses. It is his responsibility to face the gathering storm Kharkiv and Chasiv Yar and turn it into the beginning of the end of Putin’s adventurism in Europe and beyond.
Mark Toth writes on national security and foreign policy. Col. (Ret.) Jonathan Sweet served 30 years as a military intelligence officer.
Date: | |
Tag: | Joe Biden |
Topics
Filter
-
Job gains were decent in April. But here’s what Biden really has to worry about.
Voters continue to say they are mostly concerned about inflation.MarketWatch - Business - Joe Biden -
HSA costs you need to watch out for — and when not to worry
Health savings accounts are powerful tax-advantaged tools to pay for healthcare, but there are hidden fees that could cost consumers some of their savings, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau warns.MarketWatch - Business -
Hope Hicks: Trump was worried about WSJ article’s effect on Melania
Donald Trump’s former communications director testifies that he worried about Wall Street Journal article about purchase of Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal stories. Trump trial continues with judge dismissing claims that ex-president can’t ...The Guardian - World - Donald Trump -
Biden gives Presidential Medal of Freedom to Nancy Pelosi, Michelle Yeoh and more
President Biden honored 19 people with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, including Nancy Pelosi, Al Gore, Michelle Yeoh, Katie Ledecky and more.ABC News - Top stories - Joe Biden -
Rumer Willis hopes being transparent about Bruce Willis' health will give people hope
Bruce Willis is great amid dementia battle, Rumer Willis says. 'My dad is so beloved, and that's been so evident in the transparency with which we've been sharing.'Los Angeles Times - Entertainment -
Everything You Need to Know About Hybrid Cars
What’s the difference between a hybrid, a mild hybrid, and a plug-in hybrid? This is the WIRED guide for the electric-curious.Wired - Tech -
Jalen Brunson has given the Knicks something they have lacked: hope
The point guard, the son of a former Knick, grew up around the team. Now he is leading their revival as they aim for a run to the NBA finals. To fully appreciate how Jalen Brunson has redeemed the New York Knicks, who on Thursday night saw off the ...The Guardian - World -
‘Be in awe’: everything you need to know about the US cicada-geddon
The emergence of trillions of cicadas is under way in parts of the US – what should you do when they’re around, and what on earth are ‘zombie’ cicadas?. The cicadas are arriving. The periodic emergence of trillions of cicadas, on a scale not seen ...The Guardian - World -
How to watch, what you need to know about the Kentucky Derby
Katherine Terrell breaks down all of the storylines to look out for at the 2024 Kentucky Derby.ESPN - Sports -
How Reagan and Thatcher would have defeated Putin in Ukraine
Sadly, many Ukraine-supporting democracies have not done enough to wean themselves from Russian energy.The Hill - Politics - Ukraine
More from The Hill
-
Democratic rep says Johnson can't be punished for 'doing the right thing'
Democratic congressman Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) said that Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) shouldn't be punished for “doing the right thing” after Democratic leadership said they would come to Johnson's rescue if the push to remove him from his position ...The Hill - Politics -
D.C. appeals court temporarily suspends ex-Trump lawyer's law license
The D.C. Court of Appeals has temporarily suspended the law license of former President Trump's ex-lawyer following a similar order made in late March by a California State Bar Court. Former Trump attorney John Eastman’s license is suspended in ...The Hill - Politics - Donald Trump -
DOJ files lawsuit against Texas prison agency for denying religious accomodation
The Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a lawsuit against a Texas prison agency for allegedly denying religious accommodation to an employee over wearing a head covering. Franches Spears, who was a records clerk within the agency’s Pam Lychner ...The Hill - Politics -
Actor Jeff Daniels says he hopes voters will choose Biden amid 'war on Democracy'
Actor Jeff Daniels said he hopes the 2024 general election voters will ultimately choose President Biden amid what he called the ongoing “war on democracy.” The "The Newsroom" actor stated that former President Trump, the presumptive GOP nominee, ...The Hill - Politics - Joe Biden -
Sunday Shows preview: College protests heat up nationwide, Noem faces backlash
The political tension around the ever-growing pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses will likely be the focus of this week’s Sunday news shows. Two notable instances of violence breaking out at campuses amid the protests occurred Tuesday at ...The Hill - Politics