The Situation Is Escalating

President Joe Biden provided an update on Feb. 15 about the crisis involving Russia and Ukraine. During his remarks at the White House, Biden once again threatened Russia with all kinds of crippling sanctions based on the notion that Russia was allegedly going to invade Ukraine, something the U.S. government has concocted itself.*

“If Russia does invade in the days or weeks ahead, the human cost for Ukraine will be immense, and the strategic cost for Russia will also be immense. If Russia attacks Ukraine, it’ll be met with overwhelming international condemnation. The world will not forget that Russia chose needless death and destruction. Invading Ukraine will prove to be a self-inflicted wound. The United States and our Allies and partners will respond decisively. The West is united and galvanized,” Biden said.

The president particularly emphasized economic sanctions against Russia.

“The United States and our allies and partners around the world are ready to impose powerful sanctions on … export controls, including actions that did not — we did not pursue when Russia invaded Crimea and eastern Ukraine in 2014. We will put intense pressure on their largest and most significant financial institutions and key industries.

“These measures are ready to go as soon as and if Russia moves. We’ll impose long-term consequences that will undermine Russia’s ability to compete economically and strategically. And when it comes to Nord Stream 2, the pipeline that would bring natural gas from Russia to Germany, if Russia further invades Ukraine, it will not happen,” Biden said.

A number of Russian news media outlets have focused on the following passage in the U.S. president’s speech: “We’re not targeting the people of Russia. We do not seek to destabilize Russia. To the citizens of Russia: You are not our enemy.”

However, the American leader’s words are empty because the Russians should judge the Americans by their actions. “Ye shall know them by their fruits (Matthew 7:16).”

Let me remind you that according to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, American sanctions were in effect against 368 Russian individuals and 578 organizations as of early December of 2021. It should be noted that a significant number of anti-Russian sanctions have been imposed under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act. The term “adversary” clearly suggests that one side is fighting the other.

One of the leading U.S. foreign policy ideologists, Zbigniew Brzezinski, strongly influenced the U.S. establishment’s views on Russia. In his book, “The Choice: Global Domination or Global Leadership,” Brzesinski writes:

“Russia is a defeated power. She lost the titanic fight. And to say ‘it was not Russia, but the Soviet Union’ means to flee from reality. It was Russia, called the Soviet Union. She challenged the USA. She was defeated. Now it is not necessary to fuel the illusions about the great power of Russia. We need to discourage such a way of thinking … Russia will be fragmented and under guardianship.”

According to some Russian sources, Brzenzinski also said that the new world order under U.S. hegemony was created against Russia, at the expense of Russia and on the ruins of Russia.

Brzezinski died in May 2017, but his cause lives on. In an interview with RTVI on Jan. 13, 2021, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov described the American establishment’s stance toward Russia in great detail:

“There are many politicians in the White House who view the world differently. Sadly, each American party holds anti-Russian views now. The American government is full of people who despise modern Russia, some of them want to harm Russian interests. The Russian establishment understands that and it is perfectly aware who makes these threats against Russia.

“There is widespread anti-Russian propaganda in the U.S. Congress. Recent events only confirm that American congressmen are very emotional right now and they want to nip in the bud the smallest seeds of common sense that could possibly facilitate the open dialogue between Moscow and Washington. They want to impose their agenda that will finally bring Russia-U.S. relations to a dead end or in fact destroy them.

“This is a huge problem. We think we should probably give it all a chance to settle down. Further escalation and confrontation might become very dangerous for both sides.”

Ryabkov said this just over a month ago. Now the tensions between Russia and the U.S. have only increased. Washington has seriously escalated the current hostility.

The U.S. and its allies have already moved their Ukrainian embassies from Kyiv to Lviv. Things have reached the point where, during his virtual meeting with allies and partners over the Ukrainian crisis on Feb.11, Biden said the alleged Russian invasion of Ukraine would take place on Feb. 16. Naturally, no invasion took place.

In the meantime, the U.S. is flooding Ukraine with its weapons using any pretext to do so. Between Jan. 17 and Feb. 15, 45 American and British air freighters loaded with arms and ammunition were sent to Ukraine.

Therefore, despite all formal appeals from the U.S. to Russia to engage in diplomatic dialogue, something that Biden also mentioned in his speech on Feb. 15, Russia should not expect that current tensions will be defused in the near future. On the contrary, the situation is escalating. It is highly likely that the U.S. and its allies will drag Russia into the internal Ukrainian conflict by staging a military provocation on the border near Donbass.

Why is this happening now? The U.S. still considers Russia a country that lost the Cold War, thus it has no respect for its concerns.. Moreover, the U.S. continues to threaten Russia and its interests. In this case, the West is pursuing its geopolitical offensive on Russian borders.

Only a tangible threat from Russia will make the U.S. establishment reckon with Russian security concerns. However, Moscow is currently taking a strategic pause; there is no rush for the Kremlin to play its trump card, since the U.S. is creating tension for both sides. As for Ukraine and its current political regime, it may not survive this steady turbulence and heightened anxiety. Moreover, U.S. allies in Europe are seriously concerned about this situation because they are used to their quiet and comfort.

In this sense, consider Newton’s third law of motion, “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.” This means that for every interaction, there is a pair of forces acting on the two interacting objects.

*Editor’s note: The rapidly changing situation in Ukraine and Russia may render some the content here moot, but the editors feel the perspective expressed remains relevant.