The White House, and some Democratic members of Congress, as well as anti-Russian European lawmakers, were huffing and puffing that Biden would reproach Putin over allegations of the Kremlin’s malign conduct. Those allegations include Russian intelligence agencies and hackers interfering in Western democracies. How terribly ironic! For people willing to see the truth, this disclosure now, is a powerful self-indicting and hypocritical revelation of American and European elitists actual malign conduct.
The face to face summit was intended to demonstrate Mr. Biden as a world leader, which could set the stage for US / Russian superpower relationship for his presidency, and further the Russian / Chinese divide. Now, Mr. Putin can hardly believe his good fortunate. Yet, when dealing with US Presidents, except Donald Trump, he has always made out well. The general opinion in Russia is that recent liberal Democratic Presidents such as Carter (Iran), Clinton (Kosovo), Obama (Ukraine), and establishment Republicans such as Bush (Georgia), are, in the parlance of our time, “weak sisters.”
For Mr. Putin, the summit provides an opportunity to size up, or probably confirm his opinion of Mr. Biden, as then Nikita Khrushchev, First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, did in Vienna, Austria, June 3 - 4, 1961*, in his meeting with US President John Fitzgerald Kennedy. Mr. Khrushchev was concerned how Mr. Kennedy would react to Soviet interests in Berlin — meaning the recognition of East Germany as an independent state. Mr. Putin primary concern is how Mr. Biden will react to further Russian incursion in the Ukraine.
The Geneva Summit is yet to happen. However, it would be irresponsible not to predict what results from this summit.
Mr. Biden is in over his head. Mr. Putin’s view of Mr. Biden is that he is weak mentally and physically. That his election to President was illegitimate. That his diplomatic record is uneventful. That his political life is spectacularly inept and corrupt.
Ukrainian unification is not a practical possibility, and I would posit, even the Ukrainians do not want to pay the price to get it back (the annexation of Crimea and the eastern region known as Donbas). So, Mr. Putin will tell Mr. Biden that Russian annexation is the actual state of affairs. Russia will never agree to give up land it has won in the Ukraine. Mr. Biden will reply, as Mr. Kennedy had done in Berlin: 'that Russia can do what it wants to with what is yours, but do not touch what is ours' (meaning the rest of Ukraine).
However, Mr. Putin will act in accordance with his perceived assessment of Mr. Biden’s commitment to the Ukraine. In my view, this does not augur well for the Ukraine. The summit will confirm Mr. Putin’s impression of Mr. Biden that he can be easily outmaneuver, and therefore Mr. Putin can act more aggressively in his dealings with the United States, and that there would be little price to pay for future engagements.
Thus, given this plausible scenario, it begs the question — does anyone in the Biden Administration read anything but Critical Race Theory (CRT) and/or John Rawls, A Theory of Justice?
It’s a rhetorical question people!
*For an outstanding history of the Vienna Summit and its crucial consequences, read Frederick Kempe, “Berlin 1961: Kennedy, Khrushchev, And The Most Dangerous Place On Earth,” New York, G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 2011.
