Biden strongly condemned the invasion during his speech and said he would impose hefty sanctions against Russia. How do the Americans view his performance?
‘For weeks the Americans have been saying: this is going to get out of hand, there is an invasion coming. Many in Europe thought that was a bit exaggerated. I also thought: gosh, doesn’t that just lead to escalation? But many Americans believe that Biden should have been even tougher, in his words and with sanctions.
“Maybe it has to do with the fact that Americans are a little rougher when it comes to war. That they dare more because they are a superpower. In addition, Biden simply needs the support of the people. There are midterm elections in November and there are all kinds of problems in the US, so Biden also needs to make clear why he spends so much time in Ukraine, which is far beyond the realm of many Americans.
‘That is no longer necessary: the Americans can see for themselves how urgent it is. All the major television channels have correspondents here in several Ukrainian cities, there is a constant stream of intense images.’
Yet there is also a group of Republican Americans, including Trump, who side with Putin. What’s up with that?
The group of Republicans who want tough sanctions against Putin is bigger. These are the traditional Republicans, who often lived through the Cold War and grew up with Russia as the great enemy, even in the war films. You don’t have to prove that what Putin is doing is wrong. You see that Democrats and Republicans in Congress are also working together on this issue.
“I’m sitting here watching the conservative Fox News, broadcasting footage of protesters being busted in St. Petersburg. They are just reporting what Putin is doing. There is a lot of anger towards Biden, but mainly that he is too soft. That he should not hang out with all those allies, but simply impose harsh sanctions himself, without consultation.
But the new guard of Republicans, who are more pro-Trump, see Putin as a hero. He leads a nationalist regime and is an authoritarian leader with Trump traits. Trump’s slogan is Make America Great AgainThey see Putin as someone who also stands up for his own country. And he, like Trump, is critical of NATO.
Whether that division can lead to political problems for Republicans remains to be seen. You can see that some extremely conservative public figures have already changed their tone now that the bombs are actually falling. Tucker Carlson, one of Fox News’ most radical hosts, for example, clearly expressed his support for Putin on Tuesday evening. Now he thinks Putin is wrong.
Does the sudden withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan in 2021, which many Americans were deeply dissatisfied with, still play a role in Biden’s stance?
‘Absolute. The course of that withdrawal was a major blow to him. The analysis then was that America did not have its intelligence in order. The expectation was that the Taliban would try to take power, but not that it would go so quickly. Kabul had been taken before the last American troops had left.
“During this conflict, Biden had to prove: guys, we know very well what those Russians are doing. They were very firm about that. That is also useful, because when Russia invades you can say: ‘See, we knew that’. If they don’t invade, you can say, “That’s because we were able to deter them by hammering away at the threat of invasion.” That has been tactics. Well, now it’s war.
How this conflict will affect Biden remains to be seen. Ultimately, domestic and local issues are often the most important in voting. You don’t know what will happen between now and the midterm elections, and how long this war will last.’