President Biden’s biggest mistake in countering Russian President Vladimir Putin’s aggression in Ukraine was taking U.S. military intervention off the table, according to a noted national security expert.
Mr. Biden isn’t alone in backing away from a politically unpopular troop deployment in Ukraine — Republicans aren’t calling for it, either — but experts say taking the threat off the table has put Mr. Biden in a weakened position.
“Frankly, even if Biden was not intending to send troops, it was a mistake to say it directly,” said Anna Borshcheveskaya, a senior fellow at The Washington Institute focused on Russian policy. “It signaled to Russia that we are going to remain risk-averse.”
Mr. Biden has deployed 3,000 troops to Eastern Europe, but they are not there to defend Ukraine or confront Russia. Instead, they will shore up the NATO countries and provide support.
He has made clear he will not send U.S. troops into Ukraine, avoiding the oft-cited “all options are on the table” threat most presidents use in times of foreign crises.
“There is not going to be any American forces moving into Ukraine,” Mr. Biden told reporters last month.
On Wednesday, just hours before Russia launched a full-scale attack on Ukraine, the White House affirmed Mr. Biden’s position.
“I don’t know how many more times I can say it: There’s no scenario — the president is not sending U.S. troops to fight in Ukraine against Russia. We are taking a range of other steps. … I would say, they’re quite significant,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters.
Mr. Biden’s stance mirrors Washington with little appetite for sending troops to possibly die for Ukraine. Members of Congress and the public itself are war-weary following the U.S.’ disastrous military withdrawal from Afghanistan in August.
But Ms. Borshcheveskaya argues that Mr. Biden would be smart to keep Mr. Putin guessing about America’s plan for Ukraine.
“If you think about it from a strategic perspective, you’ll want to keep your adversary guessing,” she said. “I think on this specific issue, Biden has backed himself into a corner.”
However, another national security expert says the threat of U.S. troops wouldn’t change Mr. Putin’s calculus because NATO forces are already moving around Russia, including near its border. Those forces have been boosted by the U.S. troops Mr. Biden has deployed to the region.
“We’ve augmented the NATO forces, so it’s not like we are taking the U.S. military out of the game,” said Jeffrey J. Schott, a senior fellow of international trade and economic sanctions for the Peterson Institute for International Economics.
Keeping troops out of Ukraine seems to be an issue that has united Mr. Biden and Republicans, even as they blast him for not issuing tougher sanctions on Russia.
A spokesperson for Republicans on the House Foreign Affairs Committee told The Washington Times that they do not support sending troops to Ukraine.
Sen. Ted Cruz, Texas Republican and an outspoken Biden critic, gave an impassioned speech this month on the Senate floor urging Mr. Biden not to start a shooting war if Russia invades Ukraine.
“I want to be clear and unequivocal,” Mr. Cruz added. “Under no circumstances should we send our sons and daughters to die to defend Ukraine from Russia.”
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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