Extremely eye news reporter Zhang Yang
U.S. President Joe Biden said the wrong thing again, causing a thigh-hugging Ukrainian president to be anxious and publicly publish a letter attacking Biden on January 20.
Biden gaffes his word and his allies chill
On Wednesday, January 19, President Biden said at a news conference that it would pay a "serious and high price" if Russia invaded Ukraine, but also said it could also depend on how Russia handles it, BBC reported.
"As you will see, if Russia invades, it will pay a price, but it also depends on what it does," he said. But if a small-scale invasion is another matter, then we have to discuss what to do and what not to do. ”
Biden at a news conference
In recent times, tensions have escalated along Ukraine's borders. Russia has assembled about 100,000 troops near the border, and the United States also predicts that Russia's forces may double again in "relatively short time." At the same time, Russia is also planning joint military exercises with Belarus, which has raised further concerns on the Ukrainian side.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has made a series of demands to Western countries, insisting that Ukraine will never be allowed to join NATO and asking NATO to abandon military activities in Eastern Europe.
Therefore, in this tense situation, Biden's "slight" invasion remarks have been interpreted as the united states' position in the face of a big country like Russia, which immediately makes Ukraine not calm. Against such a military power as Russia, Ukraine can never succeed on its own. And the reason why it has always dared to be so tough is undoubtedly the courage given to it by the United States and NATO. Now that the President of the United States has suddenly made such an ambiguous remark, Ukraine's heart should be wandering: "Boss, you can't play me like this, right?" I'm the front, and you're talking to me in the back that it doesn't matter if you hit it lightly? ”
Ukraine publicly responded, and U.S. officials rushed to put out the fire
Therefore, ukrainian President Zelensky immediately attacked Biden's remarks about Russia's "small invasion". On Jan. 20, he tweeted to remind certain "great powers": "There are no claims of minor invasions, just as there are slight claims of grief without the loss of a loved one." ”
On the same day, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Demitro Kuleba told the Wall Street Journal that Biden's remarks could be an "invitation" to launch an attack on Moscow.
Culeba told the newspaper: "When it comes to so-called minor, full-scale or semi-total-scale invasions, there is no such criterion for classification. You are either invading or you are not. We should not give Putin the slightest chance to carry out so-called small-scale incursions. ”
A Ukrainian officer patrols a checkpoint on Ukraine's eastern border
Biden's remarks raised questions among allies about whether the United States would resolutely confront Russia, and U.S. officials immediately rushed to clarify Washington's position.
U.S. Secretary of State Blinken said on Thursday: "Our position has been very clear from start to finish, CNN reported. If any Russian military force crosses the Ukrainian border and commits acts of aggression against Ukraine, we and our allies will respond quickly and resolutely. ”
Biden, who also knew he had misspoke and rushed to remedy it, made it clear on Thursday that any transgression by Russian troops would be considered an "invasion."
Blinken's efforts to de-escalate the situation were in vain
Blinken traveled to Europe this week for a Russian-Ukrainian crisis conference aimed at reconciling Relations between Russia and the West over the Ukraine border crisis. At the meeting, he dismissed claims that the United States provided Ukraine with defensive military equipment, thereby exacerbating tensions with Russia.
He told reporters at a news conference in Berlin that the claim was a reversal of cause and effect. The United States has simply worked to ensure that "Ukraine has the means to defend itself against further Russian aggression." ”
U.S. Secretary of State Blinken
Blinken, who was supposed to ease regional tensions, had to revert to a tough stance because of Biden's gaffes and to appease the mood of U.S. allies. He said the Russian-Ukrainian crisis was not a "distant regional dispute" but a threat to the international principles of national sovereignty and self-determination. If Russia wants a new Cold War, the United States and its allies are ready.
Commentators at the BBC pointed out that the "slight invasion" remarks may be an unintentional voice of the US president, just as he predicted that Putin would "invade" Ukraine anyway. But the rhetoric undermines Blinken's efforts on the trip, and whether to compromise or clash with Russia in the current crisis is a tough choice, but there is absolutely no vague middle ground.
The Kremlin had earlier warned that Biden's remarks could further destabilize the situation. Blinken will meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Geneva this Friday to discuss the current situation. How the Russian-Ukrainian crisis will be resolved remains to be further observed.
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