The United States and its NATO allies in Europe are not seeking to "destroy" Russia, and harbor no plans to attack the country, President Joe Biden has announced.
"Tonight, I speak once more to the people of Russia. The United States and the nations of Europe do not seek to control or destroy Russia. The West was not plotting to attack Russia, as [Russian President Vladimir] Putin said today. And millions of Russian citizens who only want to live in peace with their neighbors are not the enemy. This war was never a necessity. It's a tragedy. Every day the war continues is his choice," Biden said, speaking in Warsaw on Tuesday evening.
Boasting of the extent of Western support for Ukraine against Russia, Biden said "the United States has assembled a worldwide coalition of more than 50 nations to get critical weapons and supplies to the brave Ukrainian fighters on the front lines. Air defense systems, artillery, ammunition, tanks, armored vehicles."
The US president praised Poland and the European Union for "stepping up" with "unprecedented" assistance to Kiev, and said that in the US too, Democrats and Republicans alike "have come together to stand for freedom" against Russian "autocracy," because "that's what Americans are, and that's what Americans do."
Listing off a series of allegations against Russia, including "war crimes" in Ukraine, and purported attempts by Moscow to "starve" the world of energy and food, Biden said that today, "Putin no longer doubts the strength of our coalition, but he still doubts our conviction, he doubts our staying power, he doubts our continued support for Ukraine, he doubts whether NATO can remain unified. But there should be no doubt. Our support for Ukraine will not waiver. NATO will not be divided, and we will not tire."
27 January 2023, 09:17 GMT
"Our commitment is to the people of Ukraine and the future of Ukraine - a Ukraine that's free, sovereign and democratic. That was the dream of those who declared Ukraine's independence more than 30 years ago, who led the Orange Revolution, and the Revolution of Dignity," Biden said, referring to the February 2014 US-backed coup in Kiev.
"It's a dream for those Ukrainian patriots who fought for years against Russia's aggressions in the Donbass, and the heroes who've given everything, given their lives in service of their beloved Ukraine," he added, referencing the eight-year-long campaign by post-coup authorities in Kiev to try to crush pro-independence militias in the country's east from the spring of 2014 onward.
"The democracies of the world have grown stronger, not weaker. But the autocrats of the world have grown weaker, not stronger," Biden said. "Because in the moments of great upheaval and uncertainty, that knowing what you stand for is most important. And knowing who stands with you makes all the difference. The people of Poland know that. You know that. In fact you know it better than anyone here Poland, because that's what Solidarity means. Through partition and oppression, when the beautiful city was destroyed after the Warsaw uprising, during decades under the iron-fisted communist rule, Poland endured because you stood together. That's how brave leaders of the opposition and the people of Belarus continue to fight for their democracy. That's how the resolve of Moldovan people, the resolve of the people of Moldova to live in freedom, to gain their independence and put them on the path to EU membership," Biden said.
Flawed Framing
Asked to comment on the content and tone of Biden's speech, Sputnik columnist and political cartoonist Ted Rall explained that the democracy vs autocracy/authoritarianism is unsurprising, since "it harkens back to important moments in American history, specifically World War Two, in the way that that narrative was framed in exactly the same way."
The problem with that comparison, according to Rall, is that the present conflict is a proxy war, and not a "good war" where the US is "defending democracy" for real.
"President Zelensky inherited a coup regime. He has abolished rival political parties. He's taken opposition media off the air. This is primarily a border security issue for Russia. I can't imagine that any country would want to have an enemy nation on their border and that's what Ukraine has attempted to become," Rall pointed out.
Kiev, the columnist recalled, has "been shelling ethnic Russian nationals within their own borders for eight years now. And they also threatened to join NATO, which is militarily a series of military entanglements, very reminiscent of the situation...in Europe prior to World War One."
The crisis in Ukraine is not an ideological one, Rall believes, since Russia's goal has never been to "change the form of government of the Ukraine in any way shape or form," but to prevent a hostile post-coup neighbor from joining a hostile foreign military alliance.
'Bad Look'
Commenting on the optics of Biden deciding to dash off to Kiev and Warsaw instead of visiting the town of East Palestine, Ohio, which has been devastated by a "mini-Chernobyl" of an environmental catastrophe after a February 3 train derailment and the release of highly toxic chemicals into the atmosphere in a "controlled burn," Rall said that while the trip to Kiev may be "a lot sexier" from the perspective of the White House and Biden's handlers, it's definitely "a bad look" domestically.
"I grew up in Ohio, so the story does resonate with me. The mayor of East Palestine, Ohio is understandably angry that we are sending billions of dollars to Ukraine and the president of the United States [is going] to Ukraine. It's been three weeks and he still hasn't even gotten a visit from the secretary of transportation. Things are really out of control there," the columnist stressed.