Against the backdrop of the Russian invasion into a long war of attrition, the United States and its close ally, the UK, have embarked on a risky rhetorical shift: the admitted goal of both is no longer to help the Ukrainians fight. but the clear military defeat of Russia, its weakening and the overthrow of Vladimir Putin.
The beginning was made by Joe Biden himself in March when he called the Russian President a “butcher” and declared that “this man can not remain in power.” This was followed by inflammatory statements by US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin from Kyiv, who said: “We want to see Russia weakened to such an extent that it will not be able to do something similar in the future.” In this way, the US offers ammunition to the Russian President, who claims that he was forced to give a defensive, in essence, war in order to cancel the US plans to encircle, weaken or even dismantle his country. It is no coincidence that Pope Francis has chosen to argue that NATO is against Russia in this war because for years it insisted on “barking in its backyard.”
Behind the public demonstrations of Atlantic solidarity, Europeans are beginning to worry. There is a sense in Europe that the Americans are pushing Europe into a different war.
Joe Biden’s policies pose a great danger to Europeans, as the US President’s election gives Russia arguments, and cultivates fears in Russia that the West may go deeper into Russia’s interior and that the West wants more the dismemberment of Russia.
In this case, it is a choice that poses enormous risks and, above all, for Ukraine itself. Ukraine is in danger of coming out of the conflict dramatically crippled and weakened, as Russia already controls 90% of its energy reserves, all its ports in the Azov Sea, 80% of its Black Sea coastline, most of the fertile land and much of its industrial production. With the aggressive, anti-Russian strategy followed by Joe Biden, a third World War is in danger.
Even if Joe Biden’s dream of humiliating Russia and overthrowing Vladimir Putin comes true, it may turn into a nightmare for the whole world.
