Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks during a meeting with President of the Swiss Confederation, Ignazio Cassis, Friday, Jan. 21, 2022, in Geneva, Switzerland. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, Pool)
SRDTF News
UPDATED 12:12 PM PT – Monday, January 24, 2022
It seems the Biden administration does not know the virtue of a proportional response. On Sunday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken made the rounds on several corporate news networks and threatened Russia will be met with immense repercussions if an additional force is sent over its border with Ukraine.
“And again, there are other things that Russia could do that falls short of actually sending additional forces into Ukraine, he stated. “And again, across the board we’re prepared with Europe for a swift and calibrated and very united response. We’re looking at every single scenario, preparing for every single one.”
The top U.S. diplomat continued to tout anonymous Intelligence sources warning Russia aims to set up a false flag operation to stir up resentment toward Ukraine. He also claimed Russia may be plotting to oust Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and replace him with a pro-Russia president.
Secretary Blinken also stressed the Biden administration’s commitment to Ukraine while noting his agency is sending more military and diplomatic aid to the country. Just last week, the U.S. State Department sanctioned four Ukrainian nationals accused of working for the Russian government to help destabilize the Ukrainian government.
Blinken affirmed he and his Russian counterparts are engaged in a trust dilemma posed by the “the stag hunt” game theory model, where both sides are pushing for peace while preparing for potential conflict.
“There is a path of diplomacy and dialogue, which is clearly the preferable one, the most responsible thing to do,” said the U.S. Secretary of State. “There’s also the path of Russian aggression and massive consequences for Russia if it engages in that aggression. And so, I tried to make clear both paths in my meeting with Foreign Minister Lavrov in Geneva this week and we’ll see if we can advance the diplomacy.”
However, Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) argues the Biden administration has not done enough to deter Russia from invading. McCaul, who is the ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, asserted that Russian President Vladimir Putin smells weakness while citing various foreign policy failures by Joe Biden.
The Texas Republican pointed to the botched withdrawal from Afghanistan, which led to the deaths of 13 U.S. servicemen and left the country in economic as well as political chaos. Additionally, McCaul believes Biden lifting sanctions on the Russian Nord Stream 2 pipeline aimed to appease Putin, which he said will embolden America’s adversaries.
This Russia/Ukraine mess is a direct result of Biden’s weakness. Everyone knows it. Nobody pulled this nonsense with Trump in the WH. But I have to say, I wish Dems & their media pals cared as much about our southern border as they apparently do about Ukraine’s eastern border.
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) January 24, 2022
In the meantime, Blinken said America’s allies are united against Russian aggression. This comes despite Biden’s remarks last week, where he said NATO partners are divided on the issue.
Blinken asserted he’s monitoring the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine and is urging non-essential personnel to return to the states in case of an actual invasion from Russia.