Biden Says Russia’s War in Ukraine ‘Must Be a Strategic Failure’

The president has made clear he plans to support Ukraine for years to come

In Israel on Thursday, President Biden reiterated that he wants to see Russia fail in Ukraine, declaring that Russian President Vladimir Putin must suffer a “strategic failure” in his war.

“Putin’s war must be a strategic failure, and the free world must sustain our resolve to help Ukraine defend its democracy,” Biden said at a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid.

“The United States will continue to support Ukraine and the Ukrainian people who have been devastated and displaced by the Russian violence,” the president added.

Biden has made clear that he is ready to back Ukraine in its war for years to come. He said at the recent NATO summit in Madrid that he was willing to support Ukraine for “as long as it takes” to see Russia defeated. That support has come in the form of shipping billions of dollars worth of weapons into the war zone while not engaging in diplomacy with Moscow.

Also on Thursday, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen told reporters on the sidelines of a Group of 20 (G20) summit in Indonesia that Russia shouldn’t be taking part in the meetings. “I think I’ve made clear that it cannot be business as usual with respect to Russia’s participation at these meetings,” Yellen said.

While in Indonesia, Yellen is looking to gain support for a plan to set a price cap on Russian oil as Moscow is making more profits than before the war. But the plan is almost certainly doomed to fail as it requires the cooperation of Russia, China, and India. Moscow could retaliate against the effort by reducing oil production, which would send global prices skyrocketing.

Ahead of the G20 summit, Treasury officials said that Yellen wouldn’t engage with the Russian delegation. Secretary of State Antony Blinken recently attended a meeting of G20 foreign ministers, where he also chose to shun his Russian counterparts. Blinken hasn’t spoken with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov since February 15.

Author: Dave DeCamp

Dave DeCamp is the news editor of Antiwar.com, follow him on Twitter @decampdave.