The Price Of Biden’s Russia Weakness

Research

Biden Repeatedly Said He Would Stop Russian Aggression And Stand Up To Putin; He Lied

THE COST OF BIDEN’S FAILURE IN UKRAINE? HIGHER ENERGY COSTS FOR AMERICAN FAMILIES

Biden has a fresh foreign policy failure to add to his list: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
After Putin gave the order to invade, the Biden administration failed to call it an “invasion” for hours in yet another show of weakness.
At home, Biden’s failure to curb Russian aggression like he promised is sending gas and energy prices even higher.
- Brent crude, the benchmark in international energy markets, closed in on $100 a barrel, while in Europe, natural-gas prices rose 10 percent.
Experts warn Russia and Ukraine tensions could drive gas prices over $4 per gallon and oil to $125 per barrel.
Last year, Americans already paid roughly an extra $1 per gallon of gas and homeowners an extra 30 percent to heat their homes due to Biden’s anti-American energy agenda.
- At the same time, Russian exports of oil to the U.S. hit an all-time high.
Biden refuses to unleash American energy that would drive down prices; instead, he has relied on foreign countries, begging OPEC to produce more oil.
- OPEC refused Biden’s request and now natural gas producer Qatar has said it is “almost impossible” to replace Russian gas supplies to Europe quickly.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki could not detail any plans to increase domestic energy production.
- Biden officials instead have said they support “green energy projects” in Ukraine and that Russia needs to focus on “building back better.”

BIDEN SAID HE WOULDN’T LET THIS HAPPEN

On the campaign trail, Biden said he would “make it clear to the Kremlin that it must end its aggression toward and occupation of Ukraine.”
- July 2019: Biden said he would be tough on Putin and that problems wouldn’t happen on “my watch.”
- October 2019: Biden said he would “command the respect” of Putin.
- February 2020: Biden said he knew how to “deal with” leaders like Putin.
- February 2020: Biden said Putin “doesn’t want me to be President” and “it’s because I’m the only person in this field who’s ever gone toe-to-toe with him.”
But in December, with 100,000 Russian troops at Ukraine’s border, Biden weakly tried to appease Putin with “any accommodation” to avoid a full-blown territorial grab.
- After a call where Biden supposedly was going to stand up to Putin, Russia “added at least 10,000 more troops” to Ukraine’s border.
Instead of standing up to Putin, Biden administration officials signaled weakness.
- Biden officials reportedly planned to “press Ukraine to formally cede a measure of autonomy to its eastern Donbas region” in direct violation of Biden’s previous statement that “the United States has the capacity to counter” the Kremlin threat.
- Biden’s Secretary of State Antony Blinken publicly warned Ukraine to “exercise restraint.”
Ultimately, Biden essentially gave Putin the green light to invade Ukraine, saying: “my guess is Putin will move in on Ukraine,” referencing it as a “minor incursion.”

WHILE PUTIN HAS WALKED ALL OVER BIDEN, BIDEN APPEASED HIM WITH A SERIES OF GEOPOLITICAL GIVEAWAYS

Biden spent months ignoring allies and emboldening Russia and Putin.
Biden removed sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline last year, paving the way for its completion and gifting Putin a huge geopolitical win.
- Biden’s decision to give Putin the pipeline came just two weeks after the Russian criminal group DarkSide disrupted America’s energy supply with a ransomware attack on the Colonial Pipeline.
- While Putin was massing troops on the Ukrainian border in December, the Biden administration was lobbying Senate Democrats to block sanctions on Russia’s pipeline.
The Biden administration renewed the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (new START) between Russia and the U.S. – a strategic military win for Putin that required no concessions.
When Biden met with Putin earlier last year, Biden secured no victories for America:
- He failed to secure the release of detained Americans Paul Whelan and Trevor Reed and failed to get Putin to agree to curtail his military aggression toward Ukraine.
- After Russia carried out a cyberattack on the east coast’s Colonial Pipeline in May 2021, Biden weakly asked Putin not to target a list of 16 sectors that are “off limits.”
- Asked by a reporter why he was confident Putin would change his behavior after their meeting, Biden snapped: “When did I say I was confident? If you don't understand that, you're in the wrong business."

BIDEN HAS A HISTORY OF UNDERESTIMATING PUTIN

The last time Biden, Blinken, Jake Sullivan, and Susan Rice were in office, Russia seized nearby Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, giving it critical position on the Black Sea.
- Biden was the “point person” on the Obama administration’s Ukraine policy when Russia annexed Crimea.
As Vice President, Biden repeatedly failed when dealing with Russia, pushing a “reset” with Putin and underestimating the threat he posed.
- Biden’s own Secretary of State – Antony Blinken – has said Biden was the one who “first advanced” the Obama administration’s Russia “reset” in 2009, which ended up being a complete failure.
- Biden backed Russia’s bid to join the World Trade Organization (WTO), saying, “President Obama and I strongly support and want to see Russia in WTO.”
- In 2011, Biden invited then-Russian Prime Minister Putin to visit the Obama White House, which sent “the wrong signal” because Putin was not the head of state. Biden’s move gave Putin legitimacy as he prepared to run for president again.
Throughout Biden’s career, he has repeatedly downplayed the threat of Russia and praised Putin.
- In 2001, Biden said he was “amazed” at Putin’s “move” towards the West, comparing him to Peter the Great and praising him for standing up to Russia’s military.
- In 2002, Biden credited Putin for Russia “moving toward greater acceptance of the rule of law, free trade, and a market economy.”
- In 2012, Biden mocked the idea that “Russia is still our major adversary.”
- In 2018, Biden said that Russia is in “enormous decline.”
As Senator, Biden even attempted to buy Putin’s support for the Iraq war with the promise of billions in oil money.

BIDEN’S FOREIGN POLICY IS A DISASTER

On the campaign trial, Biden sold himself as a foreign policy exert – Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is just the latest example showing this was a lie.
Our adversaries understand Biden is a weak leader. In just one year, Biden has:
- Seen two American embassies evacuated, in both Ukraine and Afghanistan.
- Emboldened ISIS-K and Al Qaeda with a botched Afghanistan withdrawal, handing radical Islamist terrorists a safe haven and billions of dollars’ worth of weapons.
- Appeased China, including failing to hold the Chinese Communist Party accountable for COVID-19 and failing to deter Chinese cyber-attacks.
- Turned his back on Israel, refusing to stand up to both Hamas and radical anti-Semites in the Democrat Party.
- Failed to forcefully stand up for the Cuban people in their fight against their island’s Communist regime.