Russia could invade Ukraine any day now – and if it happens, the United States should stay out. The Biden administration needs to remain as neutral as possible while ensuring peace between the dueling countries.
The last several weeks have seen increasing tensions in eastern Europe. Russia has escalated its military presence near the Ukrainian border, with more than 100,000 troops in the region — almost half of the size of Ukraine’s entire military force. It has also moved massive amounts of military equipment closer to the Ukrainian border and stated that it has no plans to retreat anytime soon.
In response to this increased display of military power, the United States has increased its presence in the region as well, sending 3,000 troops to Poland and Romania. Russian President Vladamir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping met for more than 13 hours on Feb. 6 before releasing a joint statement that they stand in solidarity with each other in their countries’ ventures in Ukraine and Taiwan. Matters of foreign policy are often interconnected with others and the fight over Ukraine is no exception. The introduction of Russia’s ally China into the situation certainly further complicates things, given the U.S.’s dicy relationship with China.
With this increased show of military strength and rhetoric, other world leaders have gotten involved and have made attempts at de-escalating tensions in the region. French President Emanuel Macron said he plans to have separate in-person meetings with Putin and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky in an attempt to find a mutual path to de-escalation. Their peace talks began on Feb. 6 and will go on throughout the week. Zelensky has urged world leaders to tone down the talk of war, as this military display isn’t anything new in the region. He and other world leaders worry that, if things get worse, war could break out.
The United States, as well as Germany’s newly elected chancellor Olaf Scholz, have threatened sanctions on Russia if it invades Ukraine, including ceasing construction of a key natural gas pipeline. On January 27, Biden gave a press conference explaining the U.S.’ position. He stated, “I think what you’re going to see is that Russia will be held accountable if it invades. And it depends on what it does. It’s one thing if it’s a minor incursion and then we end up having a fight about what to do and not do.” Unfortunately for the United States, the time has passed for offensive action. The U.S., with its weak leader, is now left to play defense.
The situation would be different today if we had attempted peace talks or sanctions earlier on in the conflict. Instead, Biden took his sweet time crafting a messy response. His administration needs to stop the needless rhetoric and poorly timed threats of sanctions. We need to bring our troops home. Nothing we are doing is helping Ukraine. It is only putting our servicemen and women in harm’s way. We should remain neutral in this conflict and not let Biden drag the U.S. into another world war.
