Putin’s Folly in Ukraine: NATO Redivivus
zlotx5
Thu, 05/18/2023 – 08:50
When an army dispatched by Vladimir Putin marched into Ukraine on February 24, 2022, next to no one expected the citizens of that country to put up a fight, cause the invasion to stall, and retake much of the territory lost—and virtually everyone supposed that the United States and its allies in Europe would acquiesce in Russia’s conquest of its neighbor. With regard to this dispute, appeasement had for some time been their preferred policy; and, after having witnessed America’s botched withdrawal from Afghanistan six months before, Putin could not imagine a dramatic shift in policy on the part of Joseph Biden. The man was a weakling. Of that, he was sure.
It was only when, two days after the invasion, Volodymyr Zelensky refused the American president’s offer of escape, saying, “I need ammunition, not a ride.” And when, six weeks thereafter, Ukrainian soldiers, armed with Javelin missiles, forced the withdrawal of the Russian tanks sent to capture Kiev that attitudes began to change. The Ukrainian president had made Biden a request that, with the midterms looming, the American president could not refuse. Dithering was not an option. The …read more
Source:: Hoover Institution