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The Liberty has repeatedly pointed out that it is a mistake to take hard-line measures against Russia, as it will push China and Russia closer together. Russia boasts the world’s largest number of nuclear warheads while China ranks third in the world. If the two countries formed a military alliance, they would possess a global threat that is far deadlier than the Soviet Union. An urgent division between China and Russia is needed.

The West Breaks the Promise

In 2014 after Russia acquired Crimea without Ukraine’s approval, western countries criticized the annexation of Crimea as a violation of international law. Under the leadership of the Obama administration, Russia was isolated by having severe economic sanctions imposed. Japan followed the Obama administration’s lead, and Russia had no choice but to rely on China’s economy. Hence, China and Russia were brought closer together.

The purpose of Russia’s annexation of Crimea was to protect the Russians who made up the majority of the region. It all started in 1954 when Nikita Khrushchev, First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, erratically transferred Crimea from Russia to Ukraine. Mr. Khrushchev was raised in eastern Ukraine. Locals opposed the transfer because Crimea was a part of Russia; they sought autonomy from the Ukrainian government and continued to be a flash point as a pro-Russian force.

In 2013, pro-Western Ukrainian people launched a large-scale protest, and as a result, Russian residents in the country were persecuted. Over 93% of Crimean residents came to support Russia’s annexation of Crimea, and Russia brought Crimea under its protection to protect Russian residents overseas.

First and foremost, it was the West that betrayed pro-Western Russia.

When Germany was finally reunified in 1990, the West promised no further expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), a military alliance to contain the Soviet Union. Nevertheless, the West has continued to expand NATO — it is now inviting Ukraine to join the alliance.

You can see on the map that Ukraine is just a stone’s throw away from Moscow, Russia’s capital. If we were to imagine an Asian version of Ukraine joining NATO, it would be like North Korea’s annexation of South Korea, with Japan being in Russia’s position. Russia will receive a threat that will be similar to that of Japan if the defensive line were to move south from the 38th parallel to the Tsushima Strait. Dr. John Mearsheimer, an international relations theorist who is a realist, pointed out the essence of the Ukraine issue as Mr. Putin’s attempt to defend his country’s vital interest as the West crossed the line.

“The reason why Hitler could not defeat the Soviet Union, the reason why Napoleon was defeated in Moscow, was because of this region of Ukraine,” said Happy Science CEO Master Ryuho Okawa.

Mr. Biden must understand that Ukraine is Russia’s final line of defense against attacks from the West.

Becoming Anti-Russian for Convenience

Another problem is that Mr. Biden is using Russia as a distraction.

There are already allegations of Mr. Biden’s corruption with the Beijing government. This is different from the Democratic Party’s claims that Mr. Trump and the Russian government colluded in the 2016 U.S. presidential election because Mr. Trump was proved to be innocent after an investigation by a special counsel found no proof of collusion. In Mr. Biden’s case with the Beijing government, solid evidence exists, so he must distract the public’s eyes from China — with Russia as his chosen scapegoat.

James Fanell, a retired captain of the U.S. Navy, denounced Mr. Biden’s hard-line measures toward Russia.

“When President Reagan was president, [Reagan] was the champion against the Soviet Union,” Mr. Fanell said. “He called it the evil empire. When he made those speeches, it was the Democratic Party who criticized him. The Democratic Party, who were sympathetic to the Soviet Union during the Cold War, all of a sudden switched under the Trump administration, and portrayed themselves as the great champions of freedom against Russia. The Democrats don’t have any moral authority in my view.”

Putin Wants to Rejoin G8

Mr. Putin is even misunderstood in the context of democratization.

Coupled with Mr. Putin’s impression as a former KGB officer, people tend to see him as a dictator. However, Mr. Putin worked hard to prevent another violent revolution in Russia in the midst of a chaotic state after the collapse of the Soviet Union. He has also cut poverty and stabilized the country.

Mr. Putin, who has long been wary of China, wants to rejoin Europe and the G8. In April, Mr. Putin gave his annual state of the nation address in which he wished “to maintain good relations” with everyone and made a comment to the world: “I hope no one will think about crossing the ‘red line’ against Russia.”

Relations with Russia can still be improved if Mr. Putin’s intentions are understood correctly. The Biden administration should assure Russia that Ukraine will not join NATO or the European Union. Even if Mr. Biden does not have that intention, Japan should give a strong warning to the Biden administration. Otherwise, a “new Cold War dynamic” will be formed.

It is in Japan’s national interest to make diplomatic efforts and prevent a two-front war with China and Russia.