Biden’s greatest fault was caving into Russia’s nuclear blackmail, says former Lithuanian minister

Perhaps the biggest blunder of Joe Biden’s presidency was succumbing to Russia’s nuclear blackmail, said former Lithuanian Foreign Affairs Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis.

In an interview with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Landsbergis reflected on Biden’s four-year presidential term, assessing both the successes and shortcomings in supporting Ukraine.

“There was a very specific moment when we can say things took a very bad turn,” he said.

He was referring to the summer of 2022, when Ukraine made significant gains in its first counteroffensive. At that time, the Armed Forces of Ukraine managed to liberate Kherson and parts of Kharkiv region with limited resources.

“Ukraine truly fought back against the Russians,” said Landsbergis. “It demonstrated the strength of Ukraine, the West’s support, and Russia’s weakness. That was the best moment.”

However, shortly after, Putin made his move, threatening to use nuclear weapons. Landsbergis pointed out that at that time, Russia had just introduced a new nuclear doctrine that Kremlin ruler Vladimir Putin introduced in November of the previous year.

“Western leaders literally threw up their hands and said, ‘We have nothing to counter this.’ It felt like someone had ‘turned down the volume’ on Ukraine’s support,” said the former minister.

Since then, the world has been bound by that doctrine, he added.

Despite this, one positive outcome of Biden’s presidency, according to Landsbergis, has been the unity of the West.

“Putin is fighting two battles. One is the war in Ukraine, and the other is a battle for the minds of Western leaders. And in this battle, he is currently winning,” Landsbergis concluded.

You can read the full interview at the following link.