Biden, NATO head claim a stronger Obama response to Crimea invasion may have prevented Ukraine war

The West’s effect to Russia’s penetration of Crimea successful 2014 has been brought nether caller scrutiny this week – arsenic outgoing NATO main Jens Stoltenberg insisted the warfare successful Ukraine whitethorn not person happened if the U.S. and NATO had a stronger effect to that incursion. 

"If we had delivered a fraction of the weapons we person delivered aft 2022, we whitethorn person really prevented the war," helium said successful an interrogation with Politico.

Stoltenberg, a Norwegian politician, led NATO from 2014 until past week. 

President Biden reportedly expressed a akin sentiment. 

"They f---ed up successful 2014," Biden said, according to Washington Post writer Bob Woodward’s upcoming book, "War," obtained by Fox News Digital. 

"They f---ed up successful 2014," Biden said, according to Washington Post writer Bob Woodward’s upcoming book, "War," obtained by Fox News Digital. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

"That’s wherefore we are here," the 81-year-old said. "We f---ked it up. Barack ne'er took [Russian President Vladimir] Putin seriously."

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"We did nothing. We gave Putin a licence to continue!" the president went on. "Well, I’m revoking his f---ing license!"

In 2014, the Kremlin annexed the Crimean Peninsula aft the alleged Revolution of Dignity, erstwhile Ukrainians ousted Moscow-friendly President Viktor Yanukovych. It was a speedy and bloodless takeover. Russia flooded the regions with migrants and fended disconnected Ukrainian efforts to instrumentality it back. 

The Obama medication provided Ukraine with antiaircraft weapons, sanctioned the Kremlin and kicked Russia retired of the G-8, but some, adjacent reportedly including Obama’s then-vice president, Biden, judge helium should person done more. 

It came arsenic Russia had besides invaded Ukraine’s Donbas portion and changeable down a Malaysia Airlines formation with astir 300 radical connected board. 

He stopped abbreviated of providing Ukraine with lethal weaponry. As president, Donald Trump reversed Obama’s policy, approving a program to sell Ukraine Javelin missiles for $47 million.

"If we had delivered a fraction of the weapons [in 2014] we person delivered aft 2022, we whitethorn person really prevented the war," outgoing NATO main Jens Stoltenberg said successful an interrogation with Politico. (Omar Havana/Getty Images)

In a 2014 interrogation with The Atlantic, Obama said helium saw nary payment successful the U.S. getting progressive successful the unfolding events successful Europe related to Russia and Ukraine.

"The information is that Ukraine, which is simply a non-NATO country, is going to beryllium susceptible to subject domination by Russia nary substance what we do," Obama said. "This is an illustration of wherever we person to beryllium precise wide astir what our halfway interests are and what we are consenting to spell to warfare for."

In 2012, Obama famously downplayed the menace of Russia during a statement with Republican statesmanlike nominee Mitt Romney. Romney had asserted that Russia was the U.S.’s top geopolitical foe. 

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"The 1980s are present calling to inquire for their overseas argumentation backmost due to the fact that the Cold War’s been implicit for 20 years," Obama chided astatine the time.

He besides tasked his caput of state, Hillary Clinton, with pursuing a "reset" successful U.S.-Russia relations, scrapping plans by President George W. Bush to physique a rocket shield successful Eastern Europe that Russia saw arsenic a nonstop subject threat. Putin called that determination "correct and brave."

Obama defended his 2014 argumentation successful a 2023 interrogation with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour. 

"We did nothing," President Biden said. "We gave Putin a licence to continue… Well, I’m revoking his f---ing license!" (Gavriil Grigorov/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)

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"Ukraine of that clip was not the Ukraine that we’re talking astir today," Obama said. "There’s a crushed determination was not an equipped penetration of Crimea, due to the fact that Crimea was afloat of a batch of Russian speakers, and determination was immoderate sympathy to the views that Russia was representing."

The U.S. has offered immoderate $175 cardinal successful information assistance and fiscal assistance since the outbreak of warfare successful 2022. 

Earlier this week, Ukraine struck a ample lipid terminal disconnected the seashore of Russian-occupied Crimea successful the latest question of attacks connected Russian-controlled vigor facilities.