A Diplomatic Strategy for Biden
Recently, President Biden ruled out sending U.S. troops to Ukraine as a deterrent amid President Putin’s buildup of military personnel and equipment. His strategy is to use diplomacy to persuade Putin to withdraw.
One obvious problem with Biden’s strategy is that he failed to advise his employers on which diplomatic tool he would use to obtain Putin’s acquiescence. Even an uninformed citizen on the street can recall that a similar plan by the Obama administration did not prevent Mr. Putin from invading Ukraine in 2014 and simply annexing Crimea, while Vice President Biden watched diplomacy fail. Is the current Putin a kinder, gentler version of the 2014 Putin?
As a concerned American, I think Mr. Putin’s actions convey the impression that he intends to invade Ukraine a second time. I thought it my duty as a citizen to offer an outside-the-beltway ‘diplomatic tool’ for the Biden Administration to consider. Granted, it does not reflect the diplomatic nuances that our State Department professionals employ in their global chess strategies. It merely wears our intentions on our sleeves and thereby demonstrates our resolve to compel Russian troops and equipment to disperse from the border with Ukraine.
First, the diplomatic corps could encourage Ukraine’s President Zelensky to contact NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg. To demonstrate his genuine interest in becoming a productive member of the alliance, he could offer to host NATO military exercises in his country. A suitable location for these exercises would be the remote region across the border from the current Russian buildup in preparation for their military drills.
Second, President Zelensky could call his counterpart, President Biden, to inform him about the invitation and ask if Biden would support the idea by advising NATO of U.S. participation in those military exercises.
Third, our diplomats could incentivize America’s NATO allies to contact President Biden about their serious concerns regarding Russia’s apparent preparation for a second invasion of Ukraine, which would effectively destabilize the European continent. As part of their commitment to participate in NATO military exercises, they could urge the U.S. to exclude Russia from the SWIFT international payment system, thereby imposing significant economic difficulties ahead of any invasion attempt on Ukraine.
Fourth, President Biden, obligated to show his support for America’s NATO allies, could place a courtesy call to President Putin to inform him about the NATO exercises in Ukraine and approve NATO’s request to exclude Russia from the SWIFT payment system. President Biden could explain that he appreciates Mr. Putin’s assertion that the military buildup is purely a defensive exercise. Similarly, as a defensive alliance, the NATO exercises are intended solely as defensive measures. President Biden could conclude the conversation by assuring President Putin that once Russia finishes its military exercises and withdraws from the area, he would immediately reinstate Russia in the SWIFT system, as there would no longer be any concerns from the NATO alliance regarding an imminent invasion.
While the plan accepts President Putin’s stated assurance that his troop buildup is not provocative, it sends a strong message to discourage a repetition of Putin’s past behavior.
The timetable for completing Russia’s defensive military exercises and the speed of its withdrawal from the shared border with Ukraine would remain solely in President Putin's hands. This would affect America’s return of Russia’s SWIFT privileges.
