Ukraine: the invasion never comes

Behind all this nonsense, there are real strategies at work. Vladimir Putin’s goal is to neutralize NATO’s military presence near Russia’s borders and to neutralize Ukraine. Joe Biden’s is to rebuff the broader Russian aim at all costs, and protect Ukraine as much as possible without fighting a war.

On Jan. 18, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said a Russian invasion of Ukraine 'could happen any time between mid-January and mid-February.' It’s not clear whether any of the U.S. officials really believes their dire predictions, since there are other plausible reasons why they might utter them: to whip the European NATO allies into line, or simply to restore Joe Biden’s reputation as a determined leader standing up for 'freedom' after his less than stellar performance in the Afghan debacle last August, writes Gwynne Dyer.Photograph courtesy of Flickr/U.S. State Department

Opinion

BY GWYNNE DYER

February 9, 2022

LONDON, U.K.—On Jan. 18, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that “our assessment has been that (a Russian invasion of Ukraine) could happen any time between mid-January and mid-February.” On Jan. 26, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman

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