Biden took the “safe route”

That said, he was right about one thing. If Biden’s top priority really was avoiding war between Russia and the United States, and if support for Ukraine was always adjusted with that in mind (and with an extra 500% margin of caution for good measure), then one outcome had to be preventing Ukraine from doing anything that might provoke Putin into using tactical nukes on Ukrainian soil.

Not because it would directly threaten the U.S., but because the U.S. couldn’t ignore it without responding — otherwise, the world might get the wrong message about “consequences.” And that response — say, a non-nuclear strike on Russian forces — could easily spiral into the exact war Biden worked so hard to avoid.

Putin, of course, has exploited this logic for blackmail in critical moments.

In classic Hollywood fashion, when two planes or cars are on a collision course, the first one to veer off loses. Since 2022, in U.S.-Russia relations, Biden has been the one to repeatedly steer away — always taking the “safe route.”

Which brings us right back to the conclusion I started with.

Source

About the author. Oleksiy Panych, philosopher, member of the Ukrainian Center of the International PEN Club, blogger.

The editorial staff does not always share the opinions expressed by the blog authors.