Harsh Words on Russia What is the intention of the United States to frequently play the "Ukrainian card."

Source: Xinhua Net

Washington, 20 Jan (Xinhua) -- Harsh Remarks on Russia What is the intention of the United States to frequently play the "Ukrainian card."

Xinhua News Agency

US Secretary of State Blinken made a tough stance on the Ukrainian issue after holding talks with German, French, and British diplomats in Berlin, Germany, on the 20th. He said russia would face serious consequences if it chose conflict over diplomacy. US President Joe Biden threatened Russia in his speech on the first anniversary of his administration on the 19th, saying that once Russia "invaded" Ukraine, it would face serious consequences.

Analysts pointed out that the Biden administration has recently maintained a high-pressure posture toward Russia on the Ukraine issue, frequently playing up the threat of Russian "invasion", which has a threefold calculation behind it: further squeezing Russia's geopolitical space, controlling European countries on the grounds of security threats, and using the Ukraine issue to create momentum for this year's midterm elections. However, judging from the current situation, I am afraid that it will be difficult to achieve my wishes.

It is difficult to curb Russia

Recently, relations between Ukraine and Russia have accelerated, with both sides deploying large amounts of military personnel and equipment in the border areas of the two countries. The United States, Ukraine and NATO said that Russia has gathered heavy troops in the area close to the eastern border of Ukraine and has the potential to "invade". The Russian side denied this, stressing that NATO activities threaten russia's border security and that russia has the right to mobilize troops within its territory to defend its territory.

Over the past few days, in addition to frequent harsh words to Russia, the United States has also exerted pressure on Russia through various means. Senior State Department officials recently confirmed that $200 million in defensive military aid will be provided to Ukraine. The Biden administration announced on the 20th that it will impose sanctions on 4 Ukrainian citizens, on the grounds that these people are suspected of being instructed by the Russian security services to help Russia expand its influence in Ukraine.

Analysts pointed out that the United States has long regarded Russia as a strategic opponent and tried to suppress Russia's sphere of influence. Ukraine, because of its geographical location, inevitably becomes the grip of the United States to contain Russia. But for Russia, if Ukraine is fully integrated into the Western camp, it will directly threaten Russia's geopolitical security, which Russia cannot accept under any circumstances.

Russia has repeatedly made clear its position that Ukraine cannot join the US-led NATO and has demanded that the United States and NATO provide legal guarantees to rule out the possibility of FURTHER EASTward expansion of NATO.

Andrei Koltunov, director of the Russian Council on International Affairs, pointed out that although Biden has shown a tough attitude toward Russia on the situation in Ukraine, as far as the current situation is concerned, this will not have a substantive impact on Russia. In the future, on the one hand, Russia will continue to adopt a flexible and pragmatic foreign policy, conduct dialogue and contacts with relevant parties on the issue of strategic stability, and use diplomatic channels to seek solutions to problems; on the other hand, Russia will also actively seek alternative mechanisms to safeguard its own security.

It is difficult to control Europe

Analysts pointed out that the United States continues to exaggerate the threat of War against Russia in the Ukraine issue, and an important purpose is to win over European countries to form a unified stance against Russia.

Yuri Rogurev, director of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Foundation for American Studies at Moscow State University, noted that the United States has long forced the European Union to serve its own geopolitical purposes on the grounds of providing security guarantees. For the United States, Ukraine is an excellent tool for further control of the European Union. By playing up the Russian military threat, the United States continues to maintain a highly tense military and political situation in Eastern Europe, thus firmly tying the EU to the chariot of US hegemony.

However, some analysts in Europe pointed out that once the conflict between Russia and Ukraine breaks out, the direct victims will not be the United States, but european countries, so most European countries do not want to be completely controlled by the United States on the Issue of Ukraine.

Russia held a series of security consultations with the United States and NATO and other organizations last week on the situation in Ukraine, but the EU was not invited to participate, which has caused the EU to be dissatisfied. The French newspaper Le Monde pointed out in an article that In the handling of the Ukrainian crisis, Europe has been "sidelined".

Moreover, it is difficult to reach agreement within the EU on Ukraine. Germany and other "old European" countries have relatively close economic cooperation with Russia, especially energy cooperation, and have a more rational attitude toward Russia, while some "new Europe" countries in Central and Eastern Europe are wary of Russia because of historical problems.

In all these cases, it is not easy for the United States to win over European countries to contain Russia.

It's hard to help choose

Analysts pointed out that the Biden administration has been in power for a year, but its domestic affairs have been slow to improve, so it has recently tried to exert efforts on the diplomatic side to lay the foundation for public opinion in this year's midterm elections.

Oleg Barabanov, a professor at the Moscow Institute of International Relations, pointed out that for Biden, the "loss of points" caused by the new crown epidemic, inflation, political division and polarization is difficult to solve in the short term. How to use hot issues to highlight the diplomatic "report card" may become an important starting point for Biden and the Democratic Party to prepare for the midterm elections.

However, some analysts pointed out that the Biden administration's plan may not be able to achieve its wishes. On the one hand, in past midterm elections, the weight of diplomatic issues has been relatively small, and the American people have paid more attention to policies such as the economy that can directly affect their lives; on the other hand, the Biden administration's diplomatic "report card" has not been brilliant: it has failed to bridge the rift in the US-EU relationship during the Trump administration; and the hasty withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan has greatly reduced the image of its administration. This surprise attack on Ukraine is difficult to help the mid-term elections. (Participating reporters: Deng Xianlai, Geng Pengyu, Zhang Zhang)