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Could Biden Have Stopped Russia From Invading Ukraine?
In hindsight, NATO had many options to deter Russia’s aggression or cushion its impact on Ukraine.
Russian leader Vladimir Putin telegraphed his plan to attack Ukraine long before the first shot was fired.
- David L. Phillips
- The National Interest
So why was the West’s response so incremental and ineffective?
More proactive preventive measures before Russia’s attack might have changed Putin’s calculus.
By exercising unilateral constraint and making unforced concessions, the Biden administration invited Russia to test the boundaries of its bellicosity.
Washington’s initial response was shaped by its fear that Putin would use nuclear weapons.
Paralyzed by the possibility of nuclear Armageddon, the…