Joe Biden has always been a friend of the American-Ukrainian community and Ukraine. He has always said the right things even when he didn’t express himself well. His friendship with John McCain went a long way in this regard and was sincere. Joe Biden as a Senator, Vice President and President displayed an affection for a moral component. That was the essence of support for Ukraine. He would never side with thugs or autocrats.
There were many reasons for his positions, most importantly his values. The McCain connection helped as well. Biden will be remembered because he was a good man, who genuinely believed what he said when confronting evil within his own country: “This is not who we are!” And also around the world.
Two factors were very important in his late decline. While his physical abilities did decline, particularly in the area of mobility, which was reasonably to be expected in a person of advanced age, his cognitive skills were commensurate with a younger individual. He was always deliberative, in a positive sense, but not so resolute.
I recall a meeting with him as part of a Ukrainian Congress Committee of America delegation in the White House in 2014 on the subject of Russia’s initial foray onto Ukrainian territory. Initially, the incursion was surreptitious, with Russia trying to present it as an internal separatist action. That was put to the lie was when Russia annexed Crimea two weeks later.
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Vice President Biden was most sympathetic to the Ukrainian cause, recognizing internally that his President was a neophyte in dealing with Russia. Earlier, President Barack Obama had embarrassed himself in an open microphone conversation with then Russian President Dmitri Medvedev, telling him to relay to the real president, Vladimir Putin (who was nominally prime minister), that he would be more open to discourse following the election. In the meeting, VP Biden was sympathetic, but it was notable that he was weak or somehow constrained.
Senator McCain was the foreign policy guru for Biden. But McCain passed away. President Obama was a diversion. And so, Biden came up against Donald Trump in 2016. He had never encountered anyone like Trump. Washington rarely had. Without disparaging Trump any more than I have over the years and as exhibited most recently by Trump’s purported Cabinet nominations, Trump was not only a man not to be trusted, but the very essence of what is wrong in American democracy.
So, Biden prevailed and he became President. Mostly, he was helpful to Ukraine. Often his rhetoric stopped short. He was deliberative, but not resolute.
To summarize, perhaps why Ukraine has been able to hold off the Russians is because of America under President Joe Biden. But also why Ukraine could not prevail through Western support and is currently somewhat on its heels is also because of America and President Joe Biden.
American military aid has been substantial, but not exactly what Ukraine has asked for and delivered often much too late, to the point that the current delivery promised by October 2024 is at 10%. That means that 90% has not been delivered and we are in November. Moreover, Biden has unreasonably restricted the use of even the arms that have been approved and delivered.
There is another factor that is little reported or analyzed. Russia’s GDP is growing despite US sanctions. Russian weapons contain American components. There are American sanctions on Russia but they are so poorly monitored that today Russian weapons with American components are killing Ukrainian soldiers and civilians.
Finally there are 32 member countries of NATO, and the preeminent one is the United States. Ukraine has been shut out because of President Biden’s decision.
President Biden has played directly into Putin’s game by taking this position and justified it by his personal fear of a third world war – which is a bluff.
The bottom line is that President Biden has two months to get it right and rewrite his biography and legacy:
Monitor the implementation of sanctions, deliver the approved military aid and release the restrictions, and immediately invite Ukraine to accelerated NATO membership.
President Biden, please do all this before you leave. You are a good man. A suffering Ukraine needs your resolute action.
The views expressed in this opinion article are the author’s and not necessarily those of Kyiv Post.
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