Biden’s Ukraine Speech Was Aimed at U.S. Allies, Not Voters
He won’t likely improve his domestic popularity with a focus on foreign policy. But sometimes a president’s reputation is more important than poll rankings.
Ukraine takes top billing.
Photographer: Samuel Corum/Bloomberg
A high-profile speech on Ukraine is probably the last thing Democratic pollsters would have wanted from President Joe Biden. Good news on the pandemic would be welcome. If there had to be tough talk about a nasty foe, they would surely have hoped it would be about inflation, not Russian President Vladimir Putin. Or they may have wanted the president out there touting the booming numbers on jobs and economic growth. Anything but a foreign policy problem that few Americans care about.
But there he was on Tuesday afternoon, giving a White House speech about Ukraine and introducing new sanctions on Russia. He emphasized how closely the U.S. and he personally are working with North Atlantic Treaty Organization allies, and how these sanctions are only a “first tranche” — enough to severely punish the Russians for what they’ve already done, but leaving options in reserve if Putin continues on the same course.