Ask not what NATO can do for you; ask what you are able to do for NATO.
That, in a play on JFK’s well-known 1960 presidential inaugural speech, is what President Joe Biden requested of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the Lithuanian NATO summit.
You preserve preventing the Russians for us, Biden implied, and in the event you win you may be part of NATO. If you lose, nicely, that could be a totally different story. You gained’t be round to affix.
Biden, nonetheless, got here out in robust help of Zelenskyy and Ukraine, so long as Zelenskyy retains on preventing and draining the Russian navy dry. He promised that the US and NATO “will not waver” in its help of Ukraine.
Speaking earlier than an enthusiastic crowd at Vilnius University following the summit, Biden mentioned,” We are steeled for the wrestle forward. Our unity won’t falter, I promise you.”
This is identical Biden who, upon the Russian invasion of Ukraine 18 months in the past, supplied Zelenskyy a aircraft trip to flee out of Kiev to security in Poland.
“The fight is here,” Zelenskyy mentioned on the time. “I need ammunition, not a ride.”
He nonetheless does, which is why he has repeatedly—and unsuccessfully– requested Biden for US F-16 fighter jets that Zelenskyy believes can flip the tide of the battle.
These are the identical fighter jets that Biden apparently agreed to supply Turkey’s wily president Recep Tayyip Erdogan in alternate for Erdogan dropping his opposition to Sweden becoming a member of NATO.
The level is that when it appeared like Putin would roll over Ukraine in every week, Biden needed Zelenskyy to chop and run. Now that Zelenskyy and the robust Ukrainian military has turned the tide, Biden is now his champion.
Biden does deserve credit score for getting each Finland and Sweden to affix NATO. Both nations are technologically superior middle-sized navy powerhouses.
The two nations will add energy to the navy alliance that now could be made up of thirty-two members.
The actuality is, although, that Finland and Sweden solely joined after Putin invaded neighboring Ukraine. They joined out of concern that they could possibly be subsequent on Putin’s expansionist hit checklist.
Finland shares a protracted border with Russia, and Russia has invaded Finland earlier than, again in November 1939 in what was known as the Winter War. And Sweden is simply subsequent door to Finland.
Under article 5 of the NATO constitution an assault on one NATO nation is an assault on all, and all have the suitable to take mixed navy motion towards any attacker.
NATO was initially shaped after World War II to take care of Soviet Union communist dictator Joseph Stalin and Russia’s plans to develop management of japanese Europe and past.
Led by the United States in 1949, it was made up of twelve members. Now it has expanded to thirty-two. And whereas it grew, Russia, nonetheless a nuclear energy, fell aside.
Putin desires to develop it once more, which is why he first invaded Georgia after which Ukraine.
If Ukraine have been a member of NATO, the U.S., together with different NATO members, can be obliged to go to battle with Russia and can be preventing towards the Russians in Ukraine.
So, it’s comprehensible why Biden and NATO leaders balked at fast-tracking Ukraine into NATO, though it’ll welcome it after the battle is over.
Cynically, which means the Ukrainians will do the preventing and dying to defend western democracy whereas NATO seems on.
It additionally implies that NATO will sit again, and watch Russia’s navy develop weaker by the day, its financial system crash and its folks develop rebellious over a prison, silly and unwinnable battle.
What Putin did to Ukraine is what Hitler and the Nazis did to Russia when Germany invaded in June 20-21, 1939.
Hitler nearly obtained to Moscow earlier than the Russians rose to patriotically defend Mother Russia and switch the tide, slowly forcing the Nazis again to Berlin.
Putin is the Hitler of at present, solely in reverse. He invaded Ukraine and is slowly being pressured again into Russia the way in which the Russians chased Hitler again to Germany.
What goes round comes round.
Peter Lucas is a veteran Massachusetts political reporter and columnist.
Source: www.bostonherald.com”