A lot of Internet bandwidth has been dedicated to news reports of Russia’s military activities along the Ukrainian border. President Biden has promised “severe sanctions” against Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russia, should the territorial integrity and national sovereignty of Ukraine be infringed upon (again) in any way.
In 2014, when Putin responded to a coup that ousted a pro-Russian regime in Kiev by occupying Crimea, President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden did nothing. Strongly-worded diplomatic notes? Sure. But it was still “nothing.” When Putin aided anti-government separatist groups in the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts of Ukraine, collectively called the Donbas region, once again Obama and Biden did nothing. Putin seems to understand Biden. Putin also seems to understand hollow threats and ineffective sanctions. Putin, in addition, reduced natural gas exports to Europe by 41% last month in order to get the attention of NATO allies. It appears to be a “squeeze play.” Putin would appear to be choking off natural gas supplies to Europe as a wedge, to divide the United States from NATO allies over the threatened “severe sanctions.”
