Russia's military is slaughtering Ukrainians by the hundreds. Bodies are piling up in makeshift graves. Russian missiles kill children, infants. Hospitals and maternity wards are targeted by the barbaric invaders. The brutal atrocities are on a level not witnessed in Europe since World War II.
Americans are seeing televised images of the bloody massacre of innocent civilians. The grim footage is changing the public's view of the war. A new Monmouth University survey indicates more Americans believe the Biden Administration is not doing enough to help Ukraine.
The shift in public opinion has prompted President Biden to belatedly dispatch more arms and heavy artillery. Last week Mr. Biden announced another $800 million in weapons and ammunition. However, by the time the weaponry arrives on the battlefield, Ukraine may have been destroyed and defeated.
Despite the aid, the president and former U.S. leaders deserve partial blame for the continuing horrific killing in Ukraine. For decades, American presidents sought diplomatic accommodation to appease Valdymir Putin. The Russian bully is not swayed by detente nor does he abide by agreements.
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton famously presented the Russian ambassador with a plastic, red reset button to signal a new era of cooperation in 2009. The gesture generated Russian mockery instead of cooperation. There have been far worse policy mistakes for certain.
President Barrack Obama and then VP Joe Biden were reluctant to confront Putin's public declaration that the dictator planned to reclaim lost territory once part of the Soviet Union. When Russia invaded the Crimea region in 2014, the Ukraine government begged for arms, mortar and antitank missiles.
In response, Secretary of State John Kerry announced an aid package of $16.4 million to be used to "buy basic items like blankets and clothing, along with counseling for traumatized civilians to help those who fled the fighting." Mr. Obama stubbornly refused to provide weapons or lethal military gear.
Fact-checkers have tried to rewrite history by claiming Mr. Obama not only sent blankets, but weapons. However, around $15 million in weaponry was not approved until Russia had already annexed Ukraine. Facts, not faux fact-checkers, confirm the arms arrived too late to stop the Russians.
The weakness of U.S. allies was on full display during the Crimean crisis. European leaders, afraid of Russian retribution, watched from the sidelines, content to allow Putin to steal part of a sovereign country. Russian aggression was met with surrender by the United States and its allies.
In the run-up to the Ukraine invasion, Russia positioned tens of thousands of troops around Ukraine's eastern border. Last April the White House mulled over a $60 million weapons package for Ukraine, which included the much sought-after Javelin surface-to-air missiles. Mr. Biden punted the decision.
On October 27 of last year, National Intelligence director Avril Haines warned the White House that the Russian military was poised to attack by the end of January of this year. Again Mr. Biden considered a new $200 million weapons commitment but concluded it would not deter Putin.
This dithering by the president persuaded Putin the U.S. would not support Ukraine. Once an invasion appeared imminent, Mr. Biden made a series of statements that sent mixed signals. He immediately proclaimed there would be "no boots on the ground" in Ukraine.
Instead of confronting Putin, his words communicated reluctance to challenge Russia. The president should have said "every option" is on the table if the Russians invade. He could have orchestrated a NATO military exercise on the European continent. Putin may have had second thoughts.
Mr. Biden made it clear he feared any direct confrontation with Russia. After the war began, Mr. Biden ended a prepared speech with the off-the-cuff comment that Putin "cannot remain in power." It showed a whiff of strength. The White House press secretary went into damage control.
The president's comment was walked back by Jen Psaki as she has done with so many of Mr. Biden's unscripted missteps. In January before the invasion, the president assured that a "minor incursion" into Ukraine would not require the sort of response demanded by a major strike.
After the baffling remark, Psaki quickly issued a statement than any Russian military invasion would be met with a swift response. Ukrainian officials rebuffed Mr. Biden's remark with this sharply worded response: "There is no minor, middle or major invasion. An invasion is an invasion."
Putin may be a madman, but he only respects power. When the president of the world's superpower has to be corrected by his press secretary, don't you think Putin took the measure of Mr. Biden? Putin expected sanctions would follow, but he also recognized Mr. Biden was a feckless leader.
Biden defenders believe no amount of strong language would have mattered. Sadly, the nation will never know. What should be clear is that Russia does not intend to stop its aggression with Ukraine. It has its sights set on other so-called "breakaway" former Soviet vassals.
There are lessons that Europe and America should have learned from World War II. When a tyrant is left unchecked in the takeover of a single country, it just wets the appetite for further conquests. If Russia is not stopped in Ukraine, the U.S. and its European allies may yet face a wider war.
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