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The commander of U.S. forces in Europe on Wednesday admitted that Vladimir Putin‘s invasion of Ukraine showed that the Biden administration’s efforts to ‘deter and dissuade’ the Russian leader had failed.
During the run-up to the invasion, President Joe Biden worked with allies to step up sanctions on Moscow and position troops to strengthen N.A.T.O.’s eastern flank.
Biden himself said it was not part of a deterrence effort last week, but appearing before members of Congress his commander in Europe, Gen. Tod Wolters, offered a different assessment as Republican Rep. Mike Gallagher probed the strategy.
Gallagher asked: ‘You as a combatant commander felt that you were part of an inter-agency effort intended to deter Vladimir Putin from invading Ukraine?’
‘That’s correct,’ Wolters answered. ‘Deter and dissuade.’
Gallagher continued: ‘Would it be fair to say that deterrence failed in Ukraine?’
‘Number one: I would say that NATO’s solidarity remained,’ answered the head of Europe Command, before being interrupted by Gallagher, who pressed for a direct answer.
‘I can’t argue with your conclusion,’ Wolters answered.
Gen. Tod Wolters appeared before the House Armed Services Committee. He described being part of a ‘deter and dissuade’ effort to prevent Putin from launching an invasion of Ukraine
Putin ordered his forces into Ukraine 35 days ago, but on Wednesday the U.S. said it believed he ‘felt misled’ by his military, straining relations between him and his Ministry of Defense
Mariya looks for personal items in the rubble of her house, destroyed during fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces in the village of Yasnohorodka, on the outskirts of Kyiv
People clean debris next to a house destroyed during the Russian invasion, in Boromlia village, at Trostyanets district which was recaptured by the Ukrainian army, in Sumy region
Ukrainian fighters have developed effective tactics to halt Russia’s armored advance. Ukrainian soldiers patrol next to a destroyed Russian tank in Lukianivka near Kyiv
The answer may seem obvious, given the way Russian tanks rolled into Ukraine 35 days ago.
But the Biden administration insists that its strategy did not fail as its sanctions were never designed as a deterrent.
‘Let’s get something straight,’ Biden told a reporter who questioned him last week.
‘You remember if you covered me from the very beginning, I did not say that, in fact, the sanctions would deter him.
‘Sanctions never deter. You keep talking about that. Sanctions never deter.’
Several officials offered a different view before the invasion.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in an interview with CNN that the purpose of the sanctions ‘in the first instance is to try to deter Russia from going to war.’
A day earlier Wolters told a Senate committee hearing that the U.S. may have to send more troops to Europe and confirmed Russia had used multiple hypersonic weapons in Ukraine but that they had failed in their effort to spread fear among Ukrainians.
The head of Europe Command also admitted that there could have been an intelligence gap that allowed Washington to overestimate Russia’s military capabilities and underestimate the power of Ukrainian resistance.
He appeared before the Senate Armed Services Committee on day 34 of the Russian invasion as Moscow announced it was scaling back its attempts to take the capital Kyiv and the northern city of Chernihiv.
Wolters said the Russian invasion had already prompted the U.S. to increase troop numbers from 60,000 to 102,000.
More could follow, he said in answer to a question about numbers of troops permanently stationed in Europe.
‘I think what we need to do from a US force perspective is look at what takes place in Europe, following the completion of the Ukraine-Russia scenario, and examine the European contributions and, based off the breadth and depth of the European contributions, be prepared to adjust the US contributions,’ he said.
‘And my suspicion is we’re going to still need more.’
Six EA-18G ‘Growlers’ arrived in Germany on Monday. They are equipped with the very latest electronic warfare capability and can jam enemy communications and anti-aircraft defenses
The U.S. has already increased the number of troops in Europe from about 60,000 to 102,000 since Vladimir Putin launched an invasion of Ukraine a month ago
A day earlier, the Pentagon announced it was sending six naval aircraft, equipped for electronic warfare, to Germany to bolster N.A.T.O.’s eastern flank along with 240 personnel.
In his opening statement Wolters said Russia’s invasion had ‘galvanized’ N.A.T.O.s 30 members.
And he described the ‘unmatched’ speed with which the Pentagon had able to deploy an entire armored brigade combat team to Germany in just a week.
In comparison, he confirmed that Russia had used ‘multiple’ hypersonic weapons – capable of traveling at more than five times the speed of sound and able to outmaneuver missile defense systems – but they had failed in their primary objective.
‘I think it was to demonstrate the capability and attempt to put fear in the hearts of the enemy and I don’t think they were successful,’ he said when asked why Russia had used one of its most sophisticated weapons.
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