"White House anxiously watches Ukraine’s counteroffensive, seeing the war and Biden’s reputation at stake"
...and Ukraine isn’t the only priority.
Senior U.S. officials are convinced that future support for the Ukraine war — and President Joe Biden’s global reputation — hinges on the success of Ukraine’s counteroffensive.
Succeed and Western military and economic aid will flow. Stumble or fail to meet expectations, and that support will likely dry up, sparking heightened calls for an expedited diplomatic resolution and hampering one of the White House’s signature international achievements.
Anxiety is also growing in Washington as Ukrainian elements are striking deep into sovereign Russian territory, leading to several private, stern admonishments in diplomatic backchannels.
...and Ukraine isn’t the only priority.
Biden will have to address mounting concerns about Saudi Arabia’s defiance of American wishes by moving to raise the price of oil; collapsing military-to-military talks with China as President Xi Jinping’s military acts aggressively toward U.S. crafts in the region; and an uneasy visit coming this month from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi that cuts against his argument that the 21st century’s defending conflict is between small-d democrats and autocrats.
And later this month, Biden is set to welcome Modi to the White House for just the third state dinner of his presidency. The high honor is normally reserved for close allies, but this one will be for an increasingly authoritarian ruler who promotes Hindu nationalism and jails journalists.
While Modi is viewed with wariness in the White House, the U.S. continues to court him as an essential bulwark to Xi or Russian President Vladimir Putin. His country will host the world’s leaders at the G-20 in New Delhi this fall.
“It’s not ideal that we need him,” said a Democratic Senate staffer familiar with the visit planning, “but we do. He’s who we got.”
