Vladimir Putin Warns Joe Biden Not To Cross His Red Line

What do you think of this?

I’m grateful that Lloyd Austin is our Secretary of Defense. This isn’t our problem. We’re going to let our “trans girls” step up and handle this one. Equity means that BIPOC people will now have to do their fair share of the fighting and dying to preserve the neoliberal world order.

New York Times:

“MOSCOW — He warned ominously of “red lines” in Russia’s security that, if crossed, would bring a powerful “asymmetric” response. He reminded Western leaders once again of the fearsomeness of his country’s modernized nuclear arsenal. And he boasted of Russia’s moral superiority over the West.

Yet even as President Vladimir V. Putin lashed out at foreign enemies real or perceived in a state-of-the-nation speech on Wednesday, tens of thousands of Russians defied a heavy police presence to pour into the streets to challenge his rule. In Moscow, some gathered across the street from the Kremlin to chant, “Go Away!” …”

Foreign Policy:

“Russia has amassed tens of thousands of troops at its border with Ukraine and blocked a strategic choke point in the Black Sea to naval and state-owned vessels, heightening tensions with the United States and its NATO allies and fueling concerns of a new military offensive against Ukraine.

The Russian military buildup near Ukraine is expected to reach a combined force of 120,000 in a week and has already exceeded levels seen in 2014, when the conflict in Ukraine first broke out, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Tuesday. The buildup includes potential offensive capabilities, such as paratroopers, Iskander ballistic missiles, advanced fighter jets, and electronic warfare systems capable of jamming communications across Ukraine. …”

USA Today:

“Is the Kremlin testing the Biden administration in Ukraine? Or is Russia ready for war?

On Saturday, Russia and Ukraine mutually expelled diplomats, the latest move in a series of escalations between the two countries. Russia has massed tens of thousands of troops on Ukraine’s eastern border and in Crimea, part of what the Kremlin calls a “readiness” exercise.Ready for what is the question.

Moscow’s moves are reminiscent of events seven years ago as it readied to occupy and illegally annex Crimea. At issue now is the border Donetsk Region, which like Crimea has a high proportion of ethnic Russians. …”

CNBC:

“President Joe Biden faces a nightmare scenario of global consequence: stepped up Chinese-Russian strategic cooperation aimed at undermining U.S. influence and at upending Biden’s efforts to rally democratic allies.   

It is the most significant and underrecognized test of Biden’s leadership yet: It could be the defining challenge of his presidency.

This past week, Russia and China simultaneously escalated their separate military activities and threats to the sovereignty of Ukraine and Taiwan respectively — countries whose vibrant independence is an affront to Moscow and Beijing but lies at the heart of U.S. and allies’ interests in their regions. …”