Joe Biden couldn’t wait to get out of the beltway. He would much rather be surrounded by NATO delegates than We the People. In an attempt to boost his plummeting poll numbers, without further angering Xi Jinping, he promised to take in “100,000 Ukrainians and other displaced people fleeing the conflict.” Even in Brussels they don’t believe him. The president of Lutheran Immigration Refugee Services “had questions about how it will happen.”
Biden offers sanctuary
NATO and the G-7 delegates, including Joe Biden, met on Thursday, March 24, for an “emergency” conference to kick around the invasion of Ukraine. NATO has their HQ in Brussels so hosted the event. The big topic of conversation was “plans to bolster troop rotations in countries along the southern portion of its eastern flank.” They also need some “contingency plans” in case Vladimir Putin escalates the madness.
“We are determined to continue to impose costs on Russia to bring about the end of this brutal war,” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg declared at the start of the meeting. Hanging over the conference table was the specter of “chemical, biological or nuclear weapons” being used by Russia.
NATO allies have been speaking with one voice so far in their response to Russia’s invasion. Biden says his handlers told him his job was “to ensure we stay united, to cement our collective resolve, to send a powerful message that we are prepared and committed to this for as long as it takes.” They copied that from something said at the People’s Convoy encampment in Hagerstown, Maryland.
Joe didn’t actually say that. The palace wanted to make sure it was stated properly, so National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said it.
Already, over 3.5 million Ukrainians have escaped into neighboring nations. American officials are hoping “most will want to stay in Europe so they can return to Ukraine when it’s safe.” Even so, “the United States will welcome up to 100,000 Ukrainians and other displaced people fleeing the conflict.” Oh, really? NATO insiders inquire.
Krish O’Mara Vignarajah is president of the Lutheran Immigration Refugee Services. She wants to know how Biden can promise that. Especially, when we have such a backlog on our southern border. Not to mention all the other displaced refugees from every arc of the planet. “Will the administration surge staff and resources to address backlogs that have plagued our immigration system for years? Will it use humanitarian parole authority to move Ukrainians to safety quicker? And if so, to what extent?”
Throw money at it
Biden also promises to throw money at the problem, “announcing $1 billion in new funding for humanitarian aid.” It will be specifically earmarked for “Ukrainians and refugees in neighboring countries.” Inflation? What inflation? A billion bucks is something Uncle Sam keeps around for pocket money. He also promised “$11 billion for global food security since Ukraine’s wheat production will be cut because of the war.” Without the money folks in the Middle East and Northern Africa will starve.
The Treasury Department will go ahead and print up an extra $320 million destined for “a European democracy resiliency program, including efforts to document and preserve evidence of potential war crimes in the Ukraine conflict, and to help countries such as Moldova.”
Friday’s itinerary calls for Biden jetting over to Warsaw. The plan is a meeting with Polish President Andrzej Duda. He’s also going to visit our troops there, who are sitting on their hands doing not much, when they could be fighting Russians.
The problem with that is it would mean the official start of World War III. As long as we don’t fight, nobody can call it a war. The U.S. administration plans to crack down on sales of Russian gold instead.
Sanctions were instantly rolled out, as expected by the Kremlin. They were ready for it, having previously been hoarding gold reserves. Russia’s central bank is sitting on tons of the stuff. That’s why on Thursday, “the G-7 countries and the European Union explicitly blocked these sales.”
Biden slapped new sanctions “on more than 300 members of the Russian Duma, more than 40 Russian defense companies, and on a handful of Russian elites.” That should stop the tanks. Ukrainian President appeared on video link to beg for “increased security assistance from the West.” He gave up on asking for a no-fly zone.