Due to Joe Biden's loss of Afghanistan, the Kremlin will look for openings to further concessions from the US leader despite declarations that America is back. Failure of US policy led to the quick downfall of the government in just a short period.
The debacle of Kabul has led leaders like Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese Premier Xi Jinping to disregard all the posturing of the US leader.
Russia threatened with Ukraine's growing ties with the West
Russian troops are stationed on the Ukraine border even as the Western allies demand fewer troops, but Moscow says it is for protecting the borders, according to the Express UK.
In a vain attempt to pressure Putin, the US leader caved despite talking to EU leaders. The Kremlin getting NATO and the bloc out of the picture got reversed.
According to former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Afghanistan is the US president's 'Achilles heel,' weakening his stand. The former secretary of state mentioned that Putin is a veteran politician who knows what he's doing. The states of Estonia, Latvia are too weak to attack Russia. He is concerned about an invasion and those countries he does not trust.
Pompeo said that he created the tension and the situation. But he added that the Biden administration has fault too. The spectacle of Kabul's fall and the death of 13 American soldiers laid bare to the Kremlin how weak the US leader is, cited the Head Topics.
Furthermore, the former Trump official said if the Nord Stream 2 could be finished, the completion would control Germany. Biden's loss of Afghanistan is one of the reasons why Moscow has more clout than ever.
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All the moves seen from the enfeebled administration and its sheer incompetence came from slow pressure built upon Washington. The White House did not even do something about it.
Putin pressures the Biden administration
Aiming for concessions via threats and coercion, he won't commit to military means. The Biden administration will be subject to the worst pressure from the Kremlin. Putin will test the limits to see what else he can score.
NDTV reported that about 10,000 Russian troops were sent back by Moscow after a long presence at the border in Ukraine.
Russia held drills in Ukraine, Crimea annexed in 2014, and the southern Russian provinces of Rostov and Kuban. The west and Kyiv feared a rollout over the border of the Russian juggernaut that would run over the defenders efficiently without western help.
But the Kremlin says that it's not real, but a conspiracy because NATO expansion is to the east is a concern. Ukraine's request to join NATO will be a problem for Russia.
Based on the intelligence of the US, there is about 60,000 to 90,000 close to the Ukrainian border. As many as 175,000 troops could be at the border too. That number worries the allies with artillery and armor stationed, even missiles because the Western Alliance cannot be trusted as far as the Russians think.
The drills by the forces and their display of arms dwarf what NATO can field, so the US is needed, but it is said they will send no team to Ukraine. Vladimir Putin sees that Joe Biden's loss of Afghanistan is a sign of weakness that will cost the US a lot in world politics, with a push in Asia by China.
Related Article: Vladimir Putin Asks the West to Stop Provocations at the Ukraine Border That Might Lead to Conflict
