What Will Joe Biden Give Vladimir Putin This Time?

Will Joe Biden’s video call with Vladimir Putin on Tuesday mean Christmas comes early for Russia? History indicates that could be the case. 

Four months into his presidency, Biden greenlit Putin’s Nord Stream 2 pipeline project that increases Russia’s influence in the region and coerced Ukraine to stay quiet about it. The move followed Biden’s cancellation of the American Keystone XL pipeline on his first day in office, which eliminated thousands of jobs.

Washington Post: “Critics of the pipeline, which would transport natural gas from Russia to Germany, view its imminent completion and operation as a major geopolitical coup for the Kremlin.”

Axios: “As Axios has previously reported, the completion of Nord Stream 2 would be a huge geopolitical win for Putin and give him substantial new leverage in Europe.”

Despite running as a tough-on-Russia candidate, Joe Biden has a record of backing down to Putin. He backed away from holding Russia accountable for its treatment of Alexei Navalny after calling it an issue of “deep concern.”

Politico: “But Sullivan was pressed by host Dana Bash over why Biden isn’t demanding Navalny’s release or granting him medical attention at ‘every single opportunity,’ including in a call with Russian President Vladimir Putin last week or in announcing further sanctions against Russia on Thursday. Sullivan responded that the Biden administration sees diplomatic channels as the best way to advocate on behalf of Navalny.

“‘…we have judged that rather than just make general statements publicly, the best way to deal with this issue is privately and through diplomatic channels direct to the uppermost levels of the Russian government,’ Sullivan said.”

The Biden administration was also all talk and no action following Russia’s anti-satellite missile test that scattered more than a thousand pieces of debris throughout space and endangered the crew on the International Space Station.

The Hill: “The State Department’s top spokesman said Washington will work with allies and partners to respond, but as of Tuesday it was widely unknown if the administration had yet reached out to other countries on the matter. 

“Asked what options the U.S. has, Price said he didn’t want ‘to get ahead of where we are’ and didn’t want to ‘telegraph specific measures.’”

Whitney Robertson, America Rising PAC Press Secretary: “Joe Biden has botched nearly every foreign policy decision he’s made since taking office. Our adversaries recognize it and are increasingly emboldened, whether it’s China’s actions in Southeast Asia or Russia’s threatening behavior towards Ukraine. It’s time for President Biden to lead with strength.”