President Vladimir Putin has brought Europe to the brink of war. He seems to be employing his ally, Beijing's "salami tactic," to take control of Ukraine one region at a time.
Moscow is playing an old hand. In 2008, Russian troops occupied breakaway provinces in Georgia, effectively thwarting its plans to join NATO. Keeping the western bloc away from Russia's borders and ensuring the security of the Russian lands is President Putin's declared agenda.
Moscow is well aware that the U.S. and NATO are committed to defending their member states that border Russia and Ukraine. At the same time, President Biden has made it clear that he will not send American soldiers into Ukraine to fight Russian troops should Moscow invade the country. It is uncertain how much the Ukrainian army will benefit from the supply of arms and ammunition at this late stage.
