Contrasting the presidents on Russia

Associated Press’ “Today in History” is my favorite daily newspaper column. The cogent lessons allow me to recall — with surprise — many historical events but usually I learn new facts.

The posting on March 20 speaks volumes:

March 20, 2014: “President Barack Obama ordered economic sanctions against nearly two dozen members of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s inner circle and a major bank that provided them support, raising the stakes in an East-West showdown over Ukraine.”

March 20, 2018: “In a phone call to Vladimir Putin, President Donald Trump offered congratulations on Putin’s re-election victory; a senior official said Trump had been warned in briefing materials that he should not congratulate Putin.”

March 20, 2022: “President Biden has called Mr. Putin a war criminal. . . . (Biden) must declare that the sanctions crippling Russia will remain in full force, with no exit ramps, as long as Mr. Putin remains in power.”

What a contrast of presidents!

In 2014, Putin’s military invaded and annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine. Besides Obama imposing economic sanctions he also sent U.S. Green Berets to train Ukrainian solders on guerrilla warfare tactics.

The headline of a July 18, 2018 The Moscow Project article reads “Putin’s Payout: 12 ways Trump has supported Putin’s foreign policy agenda” and states “since the beginning of the Trump administration, the White House demonstrated a clear and consistent pattern of behavior toward Russia by not only calling for better relations with the Kremlin but also actively advancing Russia’s foreign policy objectives.”

Trump’s disastrous “America First” trade war damaged relationships with 29 NATO allies.

Trump’s most recent description of Putin’s attack of Ukraine as “genius,” “savvy” and “smart” (The Guardian, Feb. 26) has even been repudiated by intelligent Republicans. Trump’s solution to Russia invading Ukraine was to paint Chinese flags on America’s F-22 planes, bomb Russia and claim “China did it … they start fighting … and we sit back and watch” (CNN, March 7).

What leadership has Biden provided? First, he reestablished relationships with NATO and over 200 allies Trump dumped. Biden worked with the G7 leaders and European Union to impose multiple deterrents: Revoking Russia’s most-favored nation status, denying Russia’s borrowing privileges at multilateral financial institutions, placing sanctions on 600 Russian legislators, elites and their family, banning the export of luxury goods to Russia, banning U.S. import of goods from several Russian economic sectors, thwarting Russia’s use of virtual currency and banning new investments in any sector of the Russian economy.

Biden has America working with 30 countries to provide security assistance to Ukraine, authorized transfers of defense equipment from more than 14 countries and provided $1 billion in humanitarian.

Americans should be thankful Trump lost the presidential election. Imagine what the horrific news headline of March 20, 2022 might have read with Trump as our president: Trump’s silence permits Russia’s capture of Ukraine.

Steve Corbin is emeritus professor of marketing at the University of Northern Iowa and a freelance writer.