Biden Rules Out Troops On The Ground, Could Aid De-Escalation

The risk of war in Ukraine has receded slightly as President Joe Biden rules out sending US, and by extension, NATO troops to Ukraine.

• Dmitri Trenin of the Carnegie Institute has stated that Moscow and Washington have recognised mutual security concerns, a key outcome for Putin, and a more constructive dialogue between the two states is now likely to replace the hostile posturing of last week. The Iran nuclear deal is potential area of cooperation between Biden and Putin.
• If a military confrontation is avoided in Ukraine new German Chancellor Olaf Scholz could seek to operate as the diplomatic pivot between Russia and Europe, a role reluctantly performed by former Chancellor Angela Merkel for so many years. Scholz has already confirmed a commitment to Nordstream 2 which suggests at continuity in the Russo-German relationship. The other member of the Normandy Format group (France’s Emmanuel Macron) has been far more combative in his support for Kyiv, threatening Russia with ‘serious consequences’ should it send troops into Ukraine.