* Gen Tod Walters, head of Europe Command, appeared before the House Armed Services Committee on Wednesday and answered questions about Ukraine
* He described being part of a 'deter and dissuade' effort to prevent invasion
* He admitted that the strategy failed under questioning
* But President Biden has denied that sanctions layered on Moscow had been designed to prevent a Russian invasion of Ukraine
The commander of U.S. forces in Europe on Wednesday admitted that Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine showed that the Biden administration's efforts to 'deter and dissuade' the Russian leader had failed. During the run-up to the invasion, President Joe Biden worked with allies to step up sanctions on Moscow and position troops to strengthen N.A.T.O.'s eastern flank.
Biden himself said it was not part of a deterrence effort last week, but appearing before members of Congress his commander in Europe, Gen. Tod Wolters, offered a different assessment as Republican Rep. Mike Gallagher probed the strategy.
Read more ....
Update #1: US commander admits Biden's deterrence strategy failed in Ukraine (FOX News)
Update #2: US commander acknowledges Biden failed to deter Russia from invading Ukraine -- Washington Examiner
WNU Editor: The Biden administration's approach to Russia and Ukraine in the months leading to the war was to focus on giving Ukraine a military deterrence that would make the cost of war too high for Russia.
But as regular readers of this blog know. The solution to the Ukraine crisis has always been the same .... the need to reach a diplomatic agreement to end the conflict in Ukraine's Donbas.
What is maddening to me is that the ingredients to end the crisis were already present via through the Minsk II agreement that Russia, Germany, France, and Ukraine had signed in 2015. If Ukraine had implemented that agreement, accepted NATO's decision that Ukraine will not be admitted, and worked to meet the EUs requirement that Ukraine must resolve their conflict in eastern Ukraine before being considered for admission, I am 99% sure that we would not be at war today.
"He admitted that the strategy failed under questioning "
ReplyDeleteJoe Biden fails at many things.
-Failed energy supply
-Failed monetary policy.5% more people a living pay check to paycheck. Good Job Joe.
"The Biden administration's approach to Russia and Ukraine in the months leading to the war was to focus on giving Ukraine a military deterrence that would make the cost of war too high for Russia. "
ReplyDeleteYou sure about that?
Paul Pillar, a Washington Insider, said the Russian invasion was "The Shot That Was Called". I do not think much of Mr. Pillar. The words smarmy or smug come to mind.
If it was a called shot and the Biden administration was hopping up and down since at east November, then why were the weapons deliveries really ramped-up in January and not November?
"I am 99% sure that we would not be at war today."
ReplyDeleteI am 99% sure that Putin intended for the Minsk agreement to be nothing more than a step to annex more territories of Ukraine. You are essentially saying that Ukraine should have abided by Russia's demands to cede more territory because of 'destabilizers' that Russia put into Ukraine.
^^^^^^
ReplyDeleteTo blame Ukraine for this conflict is like blaming jews for Holocaust. Russia nurtures faschist ideology for decades.
ReplyDeleteRussia invaded Ukraine eight years ago and Ukraine was fighting them in donbass all this time. What minsk2? Russia was allowed to kill the chechen uprising, but Ukraine was not supposed to fight russian invasion in donbass and instead implement minsk2? If anyone feels he is oppresed in donbass he is welcome to go to russia. Donbass is as Ukrainian as the rest of the land.
Nato should finally stop stiking head into the sand and deliver enouh means to defeat russia and postpone the danger of imminent invasion in Europe.
WNU showing his Russian leaning side again. No matter what Ukraine did, Russia would have still invaded. This is all about Putin trying to restore Russia to the "glory days" of the USSR through territorial gain. Maybe stop believing the bullshit that is coming out of Moscow would help you, WNU, see that you are wrong on this assessment.
ReplyDeleteBoomers really do be disregarding 14,000 murdered civilians, a civil war, and an impending 60,000 troop invasion of Donbass in favor of fantasies about "the glory days" huh?
ReplyDelete-Afghanistan attacked the US
ReplyDelete-Iraq attacked Kuwait
-Syria has a repressive illegitimate government, which has fucked the US many times in the past.
- Libya was a country that attacked the US many times in the past. However, we had a deal with them and they ceased attacking the US. Bush had a deal. Fucking Obama reneged on the deal. Obama's excuse was R2P.
Funny but Putin's excuse is R2P. He has not said in so many words but that is his excuse.
Russia has put Wagner in Donbas for years. Also mercs from Syria. When Putin was not financing mercs, he was shooting down commercial airliners
Never once did Putin got to The Hague or the ICC.
Refreshing to see someone finally admit that this is about par for the course that we built.
ReplyDelete