So far, President Joe Biden's trip to Europe has been a major success.
In a surprise visit to Ukraine on Monday, Biden showed a political and physical commitment to that nation's democratic survival. The White House will be well aware that images of Biden walking through Kyiv's streets will infuriate Russian President Vladimir Putin, offending both the Russian leader's particular sense of pride and his reflexive view of the United States as Russia's main enemy. At a most basic level, however, Biden recognizes the vital moral importance of an American president being seen to stand with a free people living under the threat of subjugation. Russia's objectives in Ukraine remain clear. Addressing his own people on Tuesday, Putin repeated his claims that Ukraine's democracy represents an existential threat that must be destroyed.
This is not to say that U.S. strategy toward Ukraine should entail total, unquestioned support. There are legitimate concerns over whether the U.S. should enable a Ukrainian land offensive into Crimea versus an offensive that isolates Crimea from Russia and Russian-held territory. At the same time, U.S. concern over Ukrainian corruption is legitimate. Indeed, in the context of tens of billions of dollars in U.S. aid, it is absolutely vital, as is the U.S. expectation that Ukraine's leaders speak truthfully and avoid unnecessary distractions from their just war effort.
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Nevertheless, the moral and strategic stakes in Ukraine are clear. They link with America's broader interest in upholding the democratic international order.
As an extension, Biden deserves praise for his multiday trip to Poland. It will not have gone unnoticed in Brussels, Berlin, and Paris that Biden is spending so much time in Warsaw. Considering the recent difficulty in its relations with the European Union, Poland will view Biden's visit as an invaluable show of support. But Poland deserves this American gratitude.
Warsaw, after all, has drawn stark contrast with major Western European powers by its willingness to invest significantly in NATO's defense and its decision to judge China's crude trade-for-political-obedience strategy in Europe cautiously. While Poland retains good relations with China (uncomfortably so for the U.S.), its stance is a far cry from that of France and Germany. Europe's two largest economies have prostrated themselves to China in that regard. In turn, Berlin and Paris will see Biden's public show of thanks to Warsaw for what it is: a subtle but significant recognition by Washington that the Central European powerhouse is an increasingly influential U.S. ally.
Biden clearly recognizes the stakes. This week, at least, he's leading from the front.