The West's response to Russia's 2014 invasion of Crimea has come under new scrutiny this week. This comes as outgoing NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg claimed that the Ukraine war might not have happened if the US and NATO had responded more forcefully to the invasion.
“Had we delivered some of the weapons we delivered after 2022, we might have actually prevented the war,” he said in an interview. politiko.
Norwegian politician Stoltenberg led NATO from 2014 until last week.
President Biden reportedly expressed similar sentiments.
“They went wild in 2014,” Biden said, according to Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward's upcoming book “War,” which was obtained by Fox News Digital.
“They went wild in 2014,” Biden said, according to Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward's upcoming book “War,” which was obtained by Fox News Digital. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
“That's why we're here,” the 81-year-old said. “We messed it up. Barack never accepted it.” [Russian President Vladimir] President Putin, seriously. ”
North Korean troops are currently fighting for Russia in Ukraine, Seoul says
“We did nothing. We gave President Putin permission to continue!” the president continued. “That's right, I'm taking away his license!”
In 2014, the Kremlin annexed Crimea after the so-called “Revolution of Dignity” in which Ukrainians ousted Moscow-friendly President Viktor Yanukovych. It was a quick and bloodless takeover. Russia has flooded the region with migrants, fending off Ukrainian efforts to take it back.
The Obama administration provided defensive weapons to Ukraine, sanctioned the Kremlin, and kicked Russia out of the G8, but even some, including Obama's then-Vice President Biden, believe Biden should have done more. I think so.
The incident occurred as Russia also invaded Ukraine's Donbas region and shot down a Malaysia Airlines airliner with nearly 300 people on board.
He stopped short of providing lethal weapons to Ukraine. As president, Donald Trump reversed Obama's policies and approved the following plan: Selling Ukrainian Javelin missiles For $47 million.
“If we had delivered some of the weapons, [in 2014] We made gains after 2022 that may have actually prevented war,” outgoing NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said in an interview with Politico. (Omar Habana/Getty Images)
In a 2014 interview with The Atlantic, President Obama said there was no interest in the United States getting involved in ongoing events in Europe related to Russia and Ukraine.
“The fact is that Ukraine, as a non-NATO member, will be vulnerable to military domination by Russia no matter what we do,'' President Obama said. “This is an example of where we have to be clear about what our core interests are and what we're going to go to war for.”
In 2012, President Obama famously downplayed the threat from Russia during a debate with Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney. Mr. Romney has argued that Russia is the United States' greatest geopolitical enemy.
Russia jails mercenary Stephen Hubbard for fighting as a mercenary in Ukraine
President Obama chided him at the time, saying, “The Cold War is over for 20 years, so we're calling for a return to the foreign policy of the 1980s.''
He also urged Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to “reset” U.S.-Russian relations by rescinding President George W. Bush's plan to build a missile shield in Eastern Europe, which Russia views as a direct military threat. I ordered him to pursue it. President Putin called the decision “correct and brave.”
President Obama defended the 2014 policy in a 2023 interview with CNN's Christiane Amanpour.
“We did nothing,” President Biden said. “We gave President Putin a license to continue…well, we’re taking away his license!” (Gabriil Grigorov/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“The Ukraine then was not the Ukraine we talk about today,” Obama said. “There is a reason why an armed invasion of Crimea did not take place: there was a large Russian-speaking population living in Crimea, and there was a certain degree of sympathy for the views represented by Russia.”
The United States has provided about $175 billion in security and financial assistance since the war began in 2022.
Earlier this week, Ukraine attacked a large oil terminal off the coast of Russian-occupied Crimea, in the latest wave of attacks on Russian-controlled energy facilities.
