Russian political scientists on Biden’s visit to Ukraine

President Joe Biden’s visit to Kiev received widespread attention both in the global media and in wide political and expert circles.
It is a very important and symbolic visit, underlines political scientist Andrei Piontkovsky.
“Biden planned a visit to Kiev and Warsaw when it was already known that Putin was planning to address the Federal Assembly on February 21, and on the 22nd he was going to organize a huge rally with the Z-patriots”, he added. – It turns out that the American leader first, so to speak, sent a “hello” to Putin, and then, having listened to his message, he will seal his counterpart in Warsaw … Checkmate in two moves. It’s no coincidence that ultra-patriotic Russian bloggers have already let out a howl about it, complaining that Biden is walking around Kiev, and that, they say, is spitting in the face of us all. Official propaganda manuals (by the Kremlin) have not yet been published, so there is confusion and confusion in the pro-Putin camp.
There is a strong psychological and political move on Washington’s part, says Piontkovsky.
“And the main purpose of the visit,” he continues, “is clear to everyone: to demonstrate that America will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes to win. Another thing is whether Biden’s visit is able to convey this idea to the Kremlin… Putin’s conscience can hardly be changed. But everything accumulates grain by grain. It seems to me that in his milieu and among so-called deep people, they are more and more impregnated with the awareness of the fatality of defeat. And Biden’s visit in this regard gives a lot…”
At the same time, according to Piontkovsky, it is obvious that Putin is chasing any idea of ​​compromise. The political scientist points out that for the Russian president, admitting that Russia is losing means admitting his political death, “which, in Russian conditions, also means physical death”.
“However, in any case, the aggravation of potential conflicts within the summit is certainly evident,” said the expert. – We are already witnessing clashes absolutely unprecedented in wartime between the leadership of the General Staff and the so-called PMCs. It reminds … of the conflict in Nazi Germany between generals (of the Wehrmacht) and attack aircraft.
According to Piontkovsky, the struggle within the Russian “war party” threatens Putin’s power much more than “the anti-war movement which does not exist on a large scale” in the country.
A number of videos have been posted on some Russian social networks, where the “Wagnerians”, without hesitation in their expressions, berate the Defense Department of the Russian Federation and even demonstratively shoot portraits of senior military officials. army, including the Chief of the General Staff, machine guns, the analyst recalls.
Russian social networks also note the fact that in almost a year since the start of the war, Putin has never visited occupied Ukrainian territory, the source of the Russian media service notes.
Biden’s visit to Kiev is of exceptional political importance for the whole world in the context of the war in Ukraine, is convinced by historian Andrei Zubov, vice-president of the People’s Freedom Party. According to him, the head of the White House has crossed the ocean to demonstrate to everyone, including the Kremlin, that Washington’s line of close cooperation with Kiev is unchanged and will remain so, no matter what.
“Of course, the visit is also associated with the significant and specific military, diplomatic and financial assistance (to Ukraine) provided by Washington,” the media source said. “But in itself, the visit to Kiev these days by the highest American official and the leader of the entire democratic community is a sign that the world democratic community, together with Ukraine, will oppose to the end the Russian aggression.”
Last but not least, it is also an eloquent message to Putin, says Zubov. Putin will certainly be unpleasantly shocked by the very fact of Biden’s visit to Kiev, the expert says. “And that, he notes, will be his next defeat on the diplomatic front. The President of the United States, during his visit, rightly said that Putin expected that Ukraine could not resist (the onslaught of the Russian army) and that the West would be divided . The dictator got both wrong.”
This is a huge miscalculation of the President of the Russian Federation, and every day it becomes more and more noticeable, says Zubov.
“Of course,” he says, “the smartest thing Putin can do in this situation is to start looking for peace. But it is clear that he went too far in his adventure and that he committed too many crimes. It is vain to hope for effective negotiations with him… Nevertheless, everything will end in a complete fiasco for the Putin regime after the inevitable defeat on the Ukrainian front.