The Russian military is now encamped on 3/4’s of the Ukrainian borders…..
And the Biden admin is following a policy of putting Putin’s military moves ‘out there ‘to the world…
And….
The American President does NOT want to get a situation that might have Americans and Russian troops in direct contact….
Overwhelming disclosure has enabled Washington to present a highly public case for a real and present danger, narrowing the daylight between the U.S. and European allies on decisions for high sanctions for Putin that could ultimately serve as a successful deterrent to invasion. Differences between allies on a coordinated response no doubt still exist — but even the reluctant Germans are beginning to talk tougher.
And if Putin had hoped for a stealth attack, he now has the eyes of the world watching.
“The Biden administration has waged a campaign of deterrence in what the Russians sometimes call the ‘information space,’ ” wrote The Washington Post’s David Ignatius. “To mobilize allies, U.S. officials have shared sensitive intelligence about Russia’s moves; when they’ve detected Russian plots, they’ve disclosed them. These aggressive tactics have checked Russia’s usual advantages of surprise and stealth.”…
….
Another risk: That Russian troop movements are simply a ruse to capture the West’s attention, ice Ukraine’s hopes of ever joining NATO, test the will of the United States and Europe, and force a dialogue over its claimed security concerns.
“What if this diplomatic show was exactly what Putin wanted out of his move?” wrote Foreign Policy columnist Caroline de Gruyter.“What if the West played into his hands by trying to deter him? What if the West actually fell into his carefully laid trap?”
If there is no invasion, the United States and Europe could still be dragged into a long, diplomatic morass over Ukraine’s future that will suck time and energy from other important global affairs.
But that’s still better than war, which the administration could claim to have headed off by calling Putin out — or at least say it tried if he does invade….
Update….
And Excellent piece explaining the overall Russia /Ukraine, East European /Putin, NATO interplay which is MUCH more complicated than the headlines ….