Putin was playing Biden all along

[SVPete]

Putin was playing Biden all along

https://www.politico.com/news/2022/02/24/putin-was-playing-biden-all-along-00011555

When the two met last June in Geneva, Biden urged Putin to end his yearslong aggression against Ukraine and stop hacking the United States, telling Putin that he was hurting his “credibility worldwide.” In a call in December, as Putin was assembling tens of thousands of troops along Russia’s border with Ukraine, which he first invaded in 2014, Biden pushed him to deescalate and “return to diplomacy.” Earlier this month, Biden warned Putin that reinvading Ukraine “would produce widespread human suffering and diminish Russia’s standing.”

None of these efforts mattered. In launching a massive assault on Ukraine this week, Putin proved that he sees the world, and his interests, very differently than Biden hoped. He also proved resistant to many traditional tools of diplomacy and deterrence.

Biden’s appeals to Putin’s geopolitical ego didn’t work. Neither did threats of sanctions, words of condemnation, emotional appeals on human rights grounds, deployments of U.S. troops to NATO countries and weapons to Ukraine, or the relatively united front put forth by the United States and its allies. Even an unusual tactic employed by the Biden administration — publicizing significant amounts of intelligence about Putin’s plans — didn’t stop the dictator.

And actions that might have — maybe — changed Putin’s calculus, such as deploying U.S. troops to Ukraine itself, were not ones Biden would consider.

For Biden and his team, it is a deeply frustrating moment. Their strategy toward Russia has largely failed, despite their effort to adjust it over time to account for Putin’s stubborn moves. ...

When Politico admits it ...

[Eupher]

This is just another illustration how inept, stupid, and out-of-his-league #SharterJoe is.

I have no doubt that at least somebody in his administration (except for Antony Blinken, who is a complete moron) told Joe that Putin's overriding effort is to reestablish the Soviet Union. Putin started with Crimea, then created a puppet state in Belarus, now he's taken the gloves off and is hammering on Ukraine.

Who's next? The Baltic countries of Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania? Or will he go to his south to the various "stans"? My money is on the Baltic states. He needs more warm water ports.

[SVPete]

IMO, the 'Stans are geographically isolated, and could be picked off at Putin's leisure, or left alone as not worth the cost. OTOH, the Baltic states are less distant from support. Delay means support could come; striking quickly could mean doing so before support is in place. I think the Baltics will be the next target if Putin plays aggressive.