Punditry StaffOne must wonder. Why Putin did not Invade Ukraine during Trump’s term in office? After all, Donald Trump would not have lifted a finger to help the country the way President Biden and the EU are assisting today. In fact, considering his second impeachment was the result of a Ukrainian-American National Security Official – Col. Alexander Vindman – blowing the whistle on Trump’s quid pro quo phone call with Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky, Trump would almost certainly have taken the sideline because it caused his impeachment. Something that, to this day, he remains bitter about.
So, why did Putin resist the invasion of Ukraine during Trump’s term in office? Was it because Trump would not have acted thus exposing his agency to Putin? Or was Putin waiting to see if Trump would win again in order to invade while Trump took the sideline unobstructed by the baggage of another run for the presidency?
It is a nagging question with no clear answers. The only logical explanation is that Putin wanted an unencumbered Trump to abandon Ukraine during his second term. Which would also have given Putin more time to prepare for the invasion.
Unfortunately, in the United States, a Caucasian President has more room to maneuver than a black President if both acted similarly under the same circumstances.
PUTIN DID NOT EXPECT BIDEN TO RESPOND
Putin assumed that waiting for the outcome of the U.S. Presidency would have little risk. A Trump win would have guaranteed the neutralization of the U.S. under Trump, but a Trump loss, according to his calculations, may not have been as risky either. After all, Putin invaded the Ukraine and annexed the Crimea during the Obama-Biden presidency.
However, Putin made a mistake. Even though his calculations were based on the notion that both Barack Obama and Joe Biden were made of the same appeaser cloth, what he did not realize was that a white man in the White House has more latitude to act. Had Obama reacted with the same determination in 2014 as Biden is reacting today, most Americans would have been far less tolerant of any mistakes. But not so with Joe Biden.
Unfortunately, in the United States, a Caucasian President has more room to maneuver than a black President if both acted similarly under the same circumstances.
In hindsight, he [Putin] must be telling himself today he should have invaded in 2017.
PUTIN MISCALCULATIONS ARE BOTH A BLESSING AND A CURSE
Biden’s response to Putin’s invasion must have taken the Kremlin by total surprise. Considering that the EU this week agreed to sanction Russian oil, and begin the process to free its dependence on Russian gas, Russia’s economic future looks bleak.
This leads one to believe that Putin totally miscalculated the west’s response to his barbarism. He based his invasion on the same assumptions he considered prior to his invasion of Ukraine in 2014, and prior to his genocidal wars against Chechnya, Georgia, and Syria.
In hindsight, he must be telling himself today he should have invaded in 2017. Demonstrating his ability to miscalculate should be a source of both concern and comfort. Let us hope his miscalculations lead to losing the war in Ukraine.
Let us hope Ukraine defeats Putin on the battlefield soon. The day it happens might be the new Victory Day for Ukraine.
Why Putin Did Not Invade Ukraine During Trump’s Term
Punditry Staff
