Joe Biden’s Surprise Ukraine Trip Is Already a Disaster

Applause for U.S. President Joe Biden. He has Just touched down In Ukraine In a Support shown For a country that has You truly felt like you’ve never experienced anything else In the 21st Century. 

There is one problem with this situation: the president is six months late for this trip.

What the hell is your Ukraine policy? This is what I do for a living, and it’s hard to explain. 

Okay, now the moment of truth. I don’t even know what it is. 

Joe Biden has a problem. People are going to ask real questions about U.S. foreign policy in Ukraine. To dream them up, you don’t have to be a Princeton Ph.D. These are possibleWhat we are, and how it affects us Are you willing to take on risk in order to reach them?? 

Believe me, these are not questions any president wants answered when it comes to matters overseas.

Imagine if we asked these questions before or even during  Vietnam, Afghanistan, and the Second Gulf War? The world today wouldn’t look the same. 

For example – and let’s try to look past Biden’s photo-op foreign policy moment in Kyiv – does anyone have a clue exactly what Joe Biden’s end goal is for giving Ukraine billions of dollars of military aid?

I can answer that for Joe Biden – he doesn’t have one. 

Want proof? It seems the administration only gives the sort of aid that would make a difference – M777 artillery, HIMARS, M1 Abrams tanks It will happen soon, I’m sure. F-16 fighters – when pressured – and only then. The Ukraine is equipped with enough weapons to fight back Russia and gain some ground. However, it will never be able to achieve any significant victories on the battlefield.

Just to ensure that there is no media outrage about us not helping Ukraine, there is no endgame. Biden must worry about 2024, and how to keep his poll numbers from falling any further than they already have. 

These questions are even more complex. Is Joe Biden able to articulate his vision of the end of the conflict in Ukraine? Biden will press Moscow to resume negotiations with Kyiv if he believes that Ukraine has forced Russia from all its lands since the beginning of last year. Will America continue to take ammo and weapons from its own stock in order to aid Ukraine? Without knowing the end goals of the administration and the strategy to achieve them, you can’t answer the question. This isn’t a war we can keep supporting forever and ever – no nation can or would. 

Or – and this is where things get quite dangerous- is Biden’s war goals in Ukraine something more extensive? Do you really want Washington to see Ukraine seize Crimea? This is a land grab that Putin made almost ten year ago. It could be a Russian redline and could lead Moscow to consider tactical nuclear weapons. What are we willing and able to do to achieve that goal? 

We will assume, for argument’s sake, that Joe Biden would like to see Ukraine seize Crimea and restore its borders to the pre-2014 level. What are our willingness to spend on equipment and money to accomplish this? Which weapons platforms will you give Kyiv in order to complete this task? What amount of intelligence will we share? 

Joe Biden has opened a Pandora’s Box when it comes to his trip to Ukraine as it will force him to some extent to answer – or at least try to answer some of these questions.

I hope you enjoy. photo-op It was well worth it.

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Harry J. Kazianis (@Grecianformula) is a Senior Editor for 19FortyFive and serves as President and CEO of Rogue States Project, a bipartisan national security think tank. He has held senior roles at the Center for the National InterestThe Heritage Foundation, Potomac Foundation, as well as many other think tanks, academic institutions, and institutions that are focused on defense matters. He was a member the Russia taskforce for Senator Ted Cruz and a similar role at the John Hay Initiative. His ideas have been published by the New York Times. Washington Post. Wall Street Journal. Newsweek. CNN. CNBC. And many other outlets. He has a Harvard University degree in International Relations. He is also the author of The Tao of A2/AD which examines the Chinese military modernization. Kazianis is also an expert in defense journalism having served as the Editor-In-Chief for The Diplomat, and as Executive Editor for The National Interest.

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