'A historic turning point'

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'A historic turning point'

March 24, 2022

Stephen Collinson and Shelby Rose

'A historic turning point'

History sent a wake-up call for Western leaders as they headed for Brussels for emergency summits to discuss the war in Ukraine.

News emerged this week that a 96-year-old Holocaust survivor, Borys Romanchenko, was killed on Friday in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv. Romanchenko survived spells in Buchenwald, Peenemünde, Dora and Bergen-Belsen camps during World War II. But he couldn't escape Vladimir Putin's murderous barrage. His death not only exposed the Russian leader's cruel lie that he is waging a war to "denazify" Ukraine; it put President Joe Biden and European leaders on notice that they are facing a full circle moment in Europe's revived battle between tyranny and freedom.

Biden, will, in effect be declaring a new post-, post-Cold War era this week. The three decades of peace and security that followed the fall of the Berlin Wall and color revolutions throughout eastern Europe have come to a hard full stop. As long as Putin remains in power, the West will need to work out how to contain and deter Russia. There's no guarantee the geopolitical posture in Moscow will change even if Putin is toppled. And the implications of a desperate Russian President armed with chemical, biological and nuclear arms don't bear thinking about. But Western leaders have no choice but to do exactly that.

For three decades since the fall of the Soviet Union, presidents have traveled to Europe and idealized the West's victories over Nazism and Communism. Often, standing among the American dead in a D-Day World War II cemetery in Normandy, or orating in an idyllic city square in Prague or Warsaw, US commanders-in-chief have called transatlantic bonds unshakeable and forever. Yet in recent years, it's often seemed like presidents and their audiences were going through the motions. The passing of the Greatest Generation severed the emotional twine of memory between Americans and Europeans over World War II. It's been more than three decades since Europeans had to worry about fallout shelters, and people with strong memories of the Cold War are in middle age. European leaders cashed in their peace dividend on health care systems and neglected their militaries. And the United States looked to rising Asia and its next superpower rival, China.

But Putin changed all that. And Biden's visit to Europe is arguably one of the two or three most important missions by a US president to the continent since the original Cold War started shortly after the Second World War.

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Biden's packed schedule

Biden touched down in Brussels Wednesday evening. Here's what we know so far about his itinerary and what the President is expected to announce on this trip:

On Thursday, Biden will attend and deliver remarks at a NATO summit in Brussels on deterrence and Russia's invasion of Ukraine, CNN's Kate Sullivan writes for Meanwhile. The President is expected to reaffirm the US commitment to NATO as he looks to bolster the Western alliance, underscore American global leadership and reassure the people of Ukraine. The President will take a so-called family photo with other leaders at NATO headquarters. That same day, the President is scheduled to attend and deliver remarks at a meeting of G7 leaders at NATO headquarters to further discuss consequences the US and allies are imposing on Russia for its attack on Ukraine.

Biden will then meet European Council President Charles Michel and address a European Council summit. This meeting will focus on imposing economic costs on Russia and providing humanitarian support for those affected by the conflict, the White House says. Next, Biden has a press conference at NATO headquarters.

Earlier this week, national security adviser Jake Sullivan previewed many of the announcements the President is expected to make during this trip. Sullivan said Biden will announce the US will impose further sanctions on Russia and tighten existing sanctions. CNN has reported Biden plans to sanction hundreds of Russians serving in the country's lower legislative body this week. The US had already sanctioned some members of the body, but this week's announcement would add to that list.

Biden is expected to discuss with world leaders a longer-term NATO force posture on the Eastern flank, according to the national security adviser. The President will also announce joint action to enhance European energy security and reduce the continent's dependence on Russian gas. Biden will also announce further US contributions to aid the humanitarian response and growing number of refugees.

On Friday, the President will travel from Brussels to Warsaw. While in Poland, Sullivan said Biden will speak with US troops defending NATO territory and meet with experts involved in the humanitarian response. The trip to Poland is meant to highlight the refugee crisis unfolding because of Russia's invasion and reassure allies on NATO's eastern edge.

On Saturday, Biden will meet Polish President Andrzej Duda in Warsaw. The two leaders are expected to discuss how the US and allies are responding to the humanitarian crisis. Biden will then deliver a speech on "the united efforts of the free world to support the people of Ukraine, hold Russia accountable for its brutal war, and defend a future that is rooted in democratic principles," according to the White House.

Biden returns to Washington on Saturday.

Cellist Denys Karachevtsev performs on the streets of the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, surrounded by damaged buildings and rubble, to help raise awareness and money for restoration. "I love my heroic city which is now struggling to survive the war. I deeply believe that we can help. I believe we can restore and rebuild our city and our country when the war is over," he wrote in a Facebook post.

Thanks for reading.

On Thursday, Biden participates in a NATO summit and a summit of the European Council of the European Union in Brussels. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to give a virtual address. It's the final day of the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the US Supreme Court nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson.