The British BBC network detailed several reasons that may prevent U.S. President Joe Biden from sending troops to Ukraine amid the Russian military operation that began on Thursday. It clarified that President Biden stated Americans are not prepared to fight, even though the Russians are. Additionally, sending troops to Ukraine to rescue American citizens, should that situation arise, is not an option, as he has already withdrawn the forces that were acting in the country as advisors and military observers.
According to the British report, the reasons for not sending U.S. troops to Ukraine include:
1. **No National Security Interests**: Ukraine is not neighboring the U.S., does not share a border with it, does not host a U.S. military base, has no strategic oil reserves, and is not a major trading partner.
2. **Biden's Non-Intervention Stance**: This is related to President Biden's "non-interventionist" tendencies that have developed over time. He supported U.S. military action in the 1990s to address ethnic conflicts in the Balkans and voted for the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003, but since then has become more cautious in the use of U.S. military force. Conversely, he opposed Obama’s intervention in Libya and the troop surge in Afghanistan, firmly defending his order to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan last year, despite the chaos and humanitarian disaster that followed.
3. **Americans Do Not Want War**: A recent survey conducted by AP-NORC indicated that 72% of respondents felt that the U.S. should play a secondary role in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, or not participate at all. They prefer to focus on economic issues, particularly rising inflation, which is something Biden needs to pay attention to as the midterm elections approach.
4. **Risk of Great Power Confrontation**: This may be the primary reason, specifically concerning Putin's stockpile of nuclear warheads. President Biden does not want to ignite a "world war" by risking a direct confrontation between U.S. and Russian forces in Ukraine. He mentioned to NBC earlier this month, "It's not like we are dealing with a terrorist organization... we are dealing with one of the largest armies in the world, this is a very difficult situation, and things can escalate quickly."
5. **No Treaty Obligations**: There are no treaty obligations requiring the U.S. to take risks, whereas an attack on any NATO member is considered an attack against all, as the foundational commitment of Article 5 requires all members to defend each other. However, Ukraine is not a NATO member.
