Biden’s move on treaty is win for Putin

After four years of alarmist rhetoric from the American left about Trump’s perceived friendliness toward Putin’s Russia, the Biden administration has come in promising to be tougher on the geopolitical foe, but the president’s rapid agreement to a five-year extension of the New START Treaty tells a different story.

The treaty, signed during the Obama administration, limits both Russia and the U.S. to no more than 1,550 deployed nuclear warheads and 700 deployed missiles and bombers apiece.

Russians view the agreement as advantageous to them because it prevents them from being drawn into an arms race with the more prosperous United States.

For years, they pushed for Trump to extend the treaty with them without any changes, while Trump refused to consider it without further concessions.

The talks fell apart as the U.S. election loomed, providing Putin with the possibility of more favorable terms in the form of a potential Biden presidency with an emotional attachment to the New START treaty from the president’s work on getting the agreement passed during the Obama years.

Clearly, Putin’s patience paid off.

The Biden administration last week immediately gave Putin exactly what he wanted with no additional demands from the Russian president at a moment in time when he has defied international pressure to release jailed journalist Alexei Navalny and Russia is roiled by mass protests and violent crackdowns.

Russia is also expanding and developing other new types of nuclear weaponry not covered by the New START agreement, allowing them to build their strength as a dangerous nuclear power without even breaking the terms.

Furthermore, with only 10 inspections per year and a 24hour warning provided to Russia in advance, it is difficult to ascertain whether the nation is keeping its promises at all.

Russians moved rapidly to take advantage of Biden’s indulgence, passing the treaty unanimously through both houses of their parliament just a day after the call between the two presidents, and Putin signing it by the end of the week.

They can clearly see that their feet are not being held to the fire in any meaningful sense and that Biden has handed them an undeserved international victory right out of the gate.

Even those who praise the treaty as a good beginning recognize that more will need to be done to contain Putin’s aggressive regime, but how can he be pressured into making more concessions if he has already received this diplomatic gift from the most powerful nation in the world?

This move was a drastic strategic mistake by Biden that will do much to undermine any chance he has to back up his tough rhetoric on Putin.

Let us all hope for global peace and stability’s sake that he improves his performance on Russia in the future.