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The Bidens rung up Russia before the U.N. Security Council today. Russia "scoffed", in the Times' words. You have to put Ukraine's reaction completely aside for the following statement to be in touch with reality: I like how proactive the Bidens have been on this issue. They, and Britain also, have called Russia out repeatedly--and Russia hasn't even invaded yet! It will be embarrassing for Vladimir Putin to invade now after all of this "scoffing." That is really turning the tables on Putin. "You're going to invade"; "No we're not"; "Yes, you are"; "No we're not." "We did." "Toldja!" If Russia doesn't invade so we look like fools, who cares? Maybe we embarrassed Putin into not invading. 

That assessment is not in touch with Ukraine's reality. They are convinced that we are goading Putin into invading. I cannot think like a Russian thinks, nor as a Ukrainian manifestly (Ukraine's Foreign Minister said today, "Who knows what is in Putin's head?" Answer: Read the map.), and until today I was really queasy about Ukraine not wanting our "help." But today we got the Russians on the record at the U.N.:

[Russian Ambassador to the United Nations Vassily Nebenzia] said it was the Americans who were the provocateurs, “whipping up tensions and provoking escalation,” as he insisted that Russia had no plans to invade Ukraine.

Normally, I do not trust official America on Russia. We have lied repeatedly to and about the Soviet Union and Russia. Ambassador Nebenzia spoke to Ukraine's fears and to my mistrust:

“You are almost pulling for this,” he said, looking at [American Ambassador to the U.N. Linda] Thomas-Greenfield. “You want it to happen. You’re waiting for it to happen, as if you want to make your words become a reality.”

But here we have the Brits' assessment in addition to our own. And most importantly both assessments are based on incontrovertible satellite imagery that you and I can see for ourselves. If an invasion is not imminent why are there 100,000+ Russian troops, and military hardware massed on Ukraine's border?

Today's Security Council session was in the Times' report ...the highest-profile arena for the two biggest nuclear military powers to sway world opinion over the escalating tensions involving Ukraine.

And it seems to have changed the mind, or clearly at least the tone, of at least one official in Kyiv:

“Russia several times announced they do not want war,” Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine’s foreign minister, said in a video briefing for reporters. “Russia can prove those words by immediately decreasing its military, political and economic pressure on Ukraine. It can abandon ideas of destabilizing the situation inside Ukraine with invented protests, cyberattacks and efforts to disrupt normal life.”

That is exactly right!

Mr. Nebenzia pointedly left the meeting before it was over, as Ukraine’s ambassador, Sergiy Kyslytsya, was speaking.

Does Ukraine recognize that it is making the same fatal misjudgment that Uncle Joe made of Uncle Alf right before Barbarossa, when Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union?

“We called for this meeting to allow the Russians to give us an explanation of what their actions are. They didn’t give us the answers that any of us would have hoped that they would provide.”--U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., Linda Thomas-Greenfield. 

Lol, no, no, no. The Americans called this session proactively to get Russia on the record. It's brilliant statecraft by the Bidens. Usually, it's invasion, arraign before the Security Council in that order. What's Putin going to say at the U.N. after he invades! 

While [Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield] emphasized Washington seeks a peaceful outcome,...if the Russians invaded Ukraine, “none of us will be able to say we didn’t see it coming.”

Exactly. Brilliant work by the Bidens. *Obviates the last part of Jan. 28's post.