On June 16, 2021, Joe Biden threatened devastating consequences for Russia (and its president Vladimir Putin) if Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny were to die in prison. “I made it clear to him that I believe the consequences of that would be devastating for Russia,” he pledged.
On February 16, 2024, Nalvany died unexpectedly in an Arctic prison.
On Friday, Biden announced those "devastating consequences."
Biden said in a statement that his administration was imposing more than 500 sanctions against Russia connected to its continuing war against Ukraine and Navalny’s death.
Today, I am announcing more than 500 new sanctions against Russia for its ongoing war of conquest on Ukraine and for the death of Aleksey Navalny, who was a courageous anti-corruption activist and Putin’s fiercest opposition leader.
With all the faux bravado he could muster, Biden... made a fool out of himself:
If Putin does not pay the price for his death and destruction, he will keep going. And the costs to the United States — along with our NATO Allies and partners in Europe and around the world — will rise.
Will keep going? Putin's devasting destruction of independent Ukraine has been going on for two years.
So Biden has the cojones to pretend to worry about the costs to the United States — as he continues to relentlessly moan to Congress about even more never-ending aid for Ukraine in the never-ending war. According to the Council of Foreign Relations, U.S. aid to Ukraine between January 24, 2022, and October 31, 2023, was roughly $75 billion.
“Two years into this war, the people of Ukraine continue to fight with tremendous courage," Biden said. "But they are running out of ammunition." Then he politicked against House Republicans — big time:
Ukraine needs more supplies from the United States to hold the line against Russia’s relentless attacks, which are enabled by arms and ammunition from Iran and North Korea. That’s why the House of Representatives must pass the bipartisan national security supplemental bill, before it’s too late.
So here's the thing.
Russia — Vladimir Putin — has shown an incredible ability to resist sanctions pressure. It continues to occupy roughly 20 percent of Ukrainian territory, and while Russian military casualty figures are estimated to be about 60,000 killed and roughly 300,000 injured, Putin only appears to grow in resolve.
A key part of Putin’s strategy —the same strategy embraced by Soviet leaders against the West in the past — is to try to outlast the solidarity of the West in its financial and military support of Ukraine.
So What Are Some of Those 'Devastating Consequences'?
Are you ready?
US national security adviser Jake Sullivan said the new measures would be a “substantial package” that covers a wide range of elements linked to the Russian defense industrial base and sources of revenue for the Russian economy that power the country’s “war machine.”
Sullivan described the package as “another turn of the crank” ... on Moscow since the start of the Ukraine war. While those sanctions have hampered Russia’s economy, they haven’t deterred Putin from proceeding with the invasion.
Raise your hand if you think Biden's "devastating consequences" are going to force Putin to change one single thing he's doing against Ukraine and Russian dissidents. Just one.
The Bottom Line
Just one problem with that "turn of the crank" thing.
The U.S., along with other Western governments, has imposed multiple sanctions on Russia in recent years, but Russia has readily adapted to them. Putin has even gloated about Russia’s resistance to international sanctions, as he's continued to do precisely what he wants to do — no doubt including the murder of Alexei Navalny.