Biden’s gamble Can he handle Russia and China at the same time

As President Joe Biden enters his third year in office, he faces a daunting challenge of managing two major crises: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and China’s rising assertiveness in Asia. Both situations test his ability to balance his commitment to democracy and human rights with his desire to avoid a new Cold War with the two nuclear-armed rivals. Biden has tried to rally international support for Ukraine, which has been fighting Russian-backed separatists since 2014 and now faces a full-scale assault by Moscow’s forces. He has imposed sanctions on Russia, provided military aid to Kyiv and urged NATO allies to stand firm against Putin’s aggression. He has also sought to engage China, which he sees as a more long-term strategic competitor, on issues such as climate change, trade and pandemic response. But his efforts have met with limited success. China, which has its own interests in Ukraine as a major investor and energy partner, has repeatedly rebuffed Biden’s requests to