Innsbruck (OTS) – With his visit to Kiev, US President Biden underscores the common destiny of the West
with Ukraine. He didn’t bring any hope that the bloodshed would end any time soon.
Politics also lives from staging; Images and gestures are often more memorable than wordy explanations. In this regard, the US President landed a coup with his surprise visit to Ukraine. While he was walking through Kiev with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy – also a master of political PR – the sirens wailed as appropriate background music.
With this visit, Biden is sending a series of messages to different recipients: Courage and determination to American voters, to whom he may soon unveil a new presidential bid. Stay the course to the allies who are maneuvering between expressions of solidarity for Ukraine and war-weariness in their societies. Confidence in the Ukrainians, once morest whom another offensive is currently rolling. And a warning to Moscow and perhaps Beijing that there is no advantage in continuing or even escalating the war.
In terms of content, however, Biden’s walk through Kiev did not provide any new insights. He only emphasizes that the West is committed to defending Ukraine and has almost merged with her into a common destiny. And that Ukraine will need military and non-military support for the foreseeable future in order to survive as an independent and democratic state. What’s still missing is a perspective on how the bloodshed can end and what comes following.
A year following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, signs point to a war of attrition. There are said to be behind-the-scenes debates regarding a way out, but so far no viable suggestion has surfaced on how to persuade the Kremlin to retreat other than by force of arms. For the time being, the Russian leadership is encapsulating its own population in a parallel world in which Russia is not the aggressor, but the victim struggling for its existence. Even before the invasion, the big question was whether and how the Kremlin would get out of this impasse. So far it has remained unanswered.
In this sense, the production covers a certain helplessness in the face of a civilizational tragedy that advances further every day. And it covers up omissions and misjudgments in dealing with Russia that have become clear in retrospect. Biden is right when he celebrates the fact that Ukraine is holding out following a year of aggressive war as a success. But the prospect of a likely second year of war remains bleak.
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