Within days of Vladimir Putin launching Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, military experts cautioned against a dangerous escalation. The wrong diplomatic posture could easily ignite a global conflict. For months on end, Russia has incessantly continued to pound Ukraine.
Although some suggest that Russia has met none of its initial goals, there might be ulterior motives in the Russian President’s mind. Certain experts insist that Vladimir Putin is pushing for a global military conflict. He needs a war to cement his validity as his country’s ruler.
Throughout the months of fighting, there have been periodic signals pointing towards the potential of such an escalation. To date, the war in Ukraine has been relegated to Russia vs. Ukraine, with Ukraine being militarily and financially supported by Western leaders.
While heavily supported by the NATO alliance, nothing has happened to push a potentially perilous escalation. However, a meeting last week in Madrid, Spain, may have changed that. Western leaders met to discuss a “war strategy” against the Russian Federation.
Even the idea of the media referring to the meetings as a “war strategy” should be alarming. The United States’ stance would be critically important to deterring Putin from advancing into a conflict outside Ukraine. Unfortunately, that message did not happen.
During the official gatherings, Joe Biden looked clueless. Not only is this a dangerous posture to present, especially from a U.S. national security interest, but Biden’s listlessness undermines the world’s credibility against Russia. The U.S. leadership is weak and Putin knows it.
This brazenness was clear when we look at how Russia responded to a “war strategy” summit of Western leaders. In response, Russian intelligence posted the strike coordinates for a number of critical targets around the world, including many inside the United States.
Russia’s “Telegram channel” released coordinates for the White House and the Pentagon, both in the U.S. Roskosmos, the Russian state space corporation, also posted coordinates for NATO headquarters in Belgium. Posting this coordinate is a slap in the face of NATO leadership.
It’s like saying, “We dare you.” Along with the aforementioned strike coordinates, Roskosmos released those for the Congress Center in Madrid, Spain, the summit location. The Ministry of Defense in the U.K., the Reichstag and the Federal Chancellery in Germany were on the list.
But there was another integral part of this brazen threat of retaliation. Essentially, Russia spit in Joe Biden’s face. Russian Foreign Affairs Minister Sergei Lavrov answered reporters’ questions. Lavrov said, “I’m not going to guess what President Zelenskyy hopes for.
It’s absolutely not important what he thinks or hopes. He doesn’t make decisions. Decisions are made in Washington, and by no means at the presidential level. Well-known officials make decisions in the State Department and probably even in the presidential administration.”
When high-ranking U.S. officials whisper that Joe Biden is not in charge, it’s troubling. When a nuclear power, and a dangerous adversary, knows that Biden is a puppet, it’s dangerous. It’s horrifying to think that a befuddled old buffoon may be all that stands in the way of a global war.