When history looks at the Battle/Siege of Kyiv, it will be declared a win for Ukraine – which was contrary to all popular opinion at the time.

Remember that Joe Biden told Volodymyr Zelensky that Kyiv could be “sacked,” and the assumption by the entire world was that Russia’s military was, um, much more efficient than they have proved to be? The Russian forces have proved to be brutal, cruel, and sadistic, but so far, they haven’t proved that they are actually capable of winning a war.

Ukraine, on the other hand, has managed to hold its own, but not without tremendous cost. However, Kyiv is now out of immediate danger. As a result, two senators, Jerry Moran of Kansas and Steve Daines of Montana, are asking the Biden administration to reopen the Kyiv embassy as other countries have begun to do.

Sens. Jerry Moran (R-Kansas) and Steve Daines (D-Mont.) (sic, the author mixed up the two senators from Montana) penned a letter, obtained by Politico, to Blinken on Wednesday urging him to “fully open” the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv, arguing that such a move would “enhance cooperation with a democratic partner” and “symbolically affirm” America’s commitment to Ukraine’s territory.”

They said they are pressing for the reopening because Russia has pulled its forces from areas around Kyiv.”

“With Ukraine’s successful defense of Kyiv and Russia’s subsequent withdrawal of forces from the areas surrounding the capital, we encourage you to fully open the United States embassy without delay,” the senators wrote.”

“Ukraine faces enormous military, economic, and humanitarian challenges as a result of this war. America’s restored diplomatic presence in Kyiv will enhance cooperation with a democratic partner as it wages an existential defense and symbolically affirm our nation’s commitment to Ukraine’s territorial sovereignty,” they added.”

The embassy was closed in Kyiv in January, and most of the staff that did remain were relocated to Lviv, near the border with Poland. But this is now mid-April, and the situation on the ground has obviously changed dramatically. After all, if Prime Minister Boris Johnson can walk around Kyiv with President Zelensky, then shouldn’t the United States feel confident about opening the embassy back up again?

Senator Daines knows what he is asking for in reopening the embassy, as he just returned from a trip to Ukraine.

Daines went there with Representative Victoria Spartz of Indiana, who is originally from Ukraine herself.

In a letter to President Biden, obtained by Fox News, Daines and Spartz said the U.S. must deliver robust lethal aid faster, noting that barely more than half of the $3 billion in military aid that Congress authorized has gone to Ukraine.”

“We need to get the remaining assistance on the ground and to Ukraine as swiftly as possible and an enhanced U.S. presence in Ukraine can help improve that effort,” Daines and Spartz wrote.”

This assistance, they wrote, should include heavy artillery, heavy armor, tanks, air-defense systems, multiple launch rocket systems, unmanned aerial vehicles, military aircraft, anti-ship missiles, ammunition and other support whether director from the U.S. or its allies and partners.”

Daines and Spartz also argued that the U.S. must restore its diplomatic presence in Ukraine by strengthening communications and information-sharing with officials there and urged the president or a senior official within his administration to visit the country “without further delay.”

Jen Psaki has already shot down the idea of Joe Biden going to Ukraine, after Biden himself indicated he could go.
https://twitter.com/BradBeauregardJ/status/1514684745548013578
Let’s just say that this is yet another example of Biden’s name being on the door of this administration, but it’s clear that he doesn’t make the final decisions on anything.

Speculation surfaced on whether Biden would visit the war-torn country following U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s trip to Ukraine last week.”

When asked by reporters Thursday on whether he was personally ready to travel to Kyiv Biden said, “Yeah.”

“He’s ready for anything,” Psaki said Friday. “The man likes the fast cars and aviators. He’s ready to go to Ukraine. It’s true he does.”

“We are not sending the president to Ukraine,” she added firmly.”

Biden is the president of the United States, and the “we” running the administration won’t send him to Ukraine because the man is a walking ad for senior living homes and gets herded around by the Easter Bunny. So it was probably a smart thing that Daines and Moran sent their letter asking for the embassy in Kyiv to be reopened to Antony Blinken instead of Joe Biden.

It would make a good diplomatic statement to reopen the embassy, but considering the number of diplomatic missteps that have occurred, I’m not certain that the Obama team running the Biden administration is likely to take this advice from Senator Daines. After all, they can’t possibly be caught listening to a Republican, now can they?

Featured image via Leonhard_Niederwimmer on Pixabay, cropped, Pixabay license