Putin and Biden Both Win, Ukraine Loses
The crisis precipitated by Russia’s build-up of forces is far from over, but it’s not too early for a tally of who has experienced the greatest strategic and tactical gains and losses thus far.
Spot the winner.
Photographer: Sean Gallup/Getty Images EuropeThe Russian Defense Ministry’s announcement on Tuesday that troops were beginning to relocate to their permanent bases after drills on the Ukrainian border is not yet the denouement of the crisis that Russian President Vladimir Putin created and then U.S. President Joe Biden amplified with alarmist rhetoric in recent months. Still, the world’s attention has been focused on the possibility of a large-scale Russian attack on Ukraine long enough for an early tally of strategic and tactical gains and losses from the escalation.
So far, both Putin and Biden appear to have benefited from the crisis. European nations and especially Ukraine have, on balance, lost out.