MARCH 10, 2022
The Biden administration this week rightly called out Russia and China as liars and cheaters that can't be trusted. Yet apparently, that notion did not occur to White House officials when they invited those officials to take part in Iran nuclear deal negotiations earlier this year.
The nearsightedness raises concerns once again that the Biden administration — despite its tough talk — remains woefully naïve regarding the nefarious intentions of two of America's greatest geopolitical foes.
What happened?
Serving as a mouthpiece for the administration on Thursday, White House press secretary Jen Psaki raked Russia and China over the coals in a lengthy Twitter thread. She brandished the nations' government officials as "preposterous" propagandizers and asserted that President Biden and his administration have "[taken] note" of their past transgressions while being on the "lookout" for more.
But that type of sober-minded vigilance seemed remarkably absent in recent days and weeks when the White House not only tolerated Russian and Chinese participation in Iran deal negotiations — but actually invited their involvement.
"U.S. seeks Russian and Chinese support to salvage Iran nuclear deal," a Guardian report in December said.
The negotiations reportedly ended in a disaster, with Russia's top negotiator, Mikhail Ulyanov, bragging publicly that his country, along with their Chinese partners, essentially fleeced the U.S., securing more for Iran's nuclear proliferation than previously thought possible.
"I am absolutely sincere in this regard. Iran got much more than it could expect — much more," Ulyanov said in a victory lap following talks. "Realistically speaking, Iran got more than frankly I expected, others expected. This is a matter of fact."
"Our Chinese friends were also very efficient and useful as co-negotiators," he added.
Shocking video: This is the lead Russian negotiator for the Iran nuclear talks, Mikhail Ulyanov. \n\nHe's bragging about how Russia, Iran, and China teamed up to deliver huge wins for Iran's nuclear program in Vienna negotiations.pic.twitter.com/oiTOgfh99i— POLARIS (@POLARIS) 1646574051
It's no wonder Psaki's words rang hollow.
What did she say?
The press secretary fumed at Russia for alleging that the U.S. was involved in biological weapons labs in Ukraine. The Kremlin, it seemed, pushed the propaganda as a pretext for invasion.
"This is preposterous," Psaki wrote, stating elsewhere that "it’s Russia that has a long and well-documented track record of using chemical weapons."
This is preposterous. It\u2019s the kind of disinformation operation we\u2019ve seen repeatedly from the Russians over the years in Ukraine and in other countries, which have been debunked, and an example of the types of false pretexts we have been warning the Russians would invent.— Jen Psaki (@Jen Psaki) 1646862488
It\u2019s Russia that has a long and well-documented track record of using chemical weapons, including in attempted assassinations and poisoning of Putin\u2019s political enemies like Alexey Navalny.— Jen Psaki (@Jen Psaki) 1646862488
Also, Russia has a track record of accusing the West of the very violations that Russia itself is perpetrating. In December, Russia falsely accused the U.S. of deploying contractors with chemical weapons in Ukraine.— Jen Psaki (@Jen Psaki) 1646862489
Now that Russia has made these false claims, and China has seemingly endorsed this propaganda, we should all be on the lookout for Russia to possibly use chemical or biological weapons in Ukraine, or to create a false flag operation using them. It\u2019s a clear pattern.— Jen Psaki (@Jen Psaki) 1646862490
Psaki went on to call the move "an obvious ploy" by the Russians, further noting, "We should all be on the lookout for Russia to possibly use chemical or biological weapons in Ukraine, or to create a false flag operation using them."
One might ask, where was the "lookout" before Biden's White House called on Russia and China to assist in the revival of the Iran nuclear deal?
Anything else?
Reacting to Psaki's statements, Hot Air's Ed Morrissey wrote, "So explain to me again why we invited Russia to negotiate a deal over illegal WMD development in Iran?"
"Having Mikhail Ulyanov on hand to negotiate Iran’s compliance on non-proliferation of nuclear weapons is akin to having Ted Bundy mediate Jeffrey Dahmer’s sentencing," the conservative writer quipped. "Were they really that naive?"
"Rather than naïveté, this looks like plain ol’ stupidity," he concluded.
(H/T: Hot Air)
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