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Before I get to the heart of todays newsletter, I want to share three things Im watching in Russias war on Ukraine:

First, while most of the world has focused (understandably) on the fights for Kyiv and Kharkiv in northern Ukraine, Russia has been most successful in the south. It has reportedly captured the city of Kherson, and its continued success could mean that Russians might be able to attack Ukrainian forces holding the line in the Donbas region from the rear. Will Ukrainian forces retreat if faced with this crisis? Or will they stay and fight?

Second, in my Atlantic piece on Tuesday, I indicated that the Russian military was likely to turn increasingly to raw firepower and indiscriminate attacks to grind down Ukrainian opposition. Sadly, were seeing the signs of escalation, including reported attacks hitting hospitals, schools, and critical infrastructure in the south and the east. If Russia achieves any tangible battlefield gains with these tactics, expect them to proliferate across the battlefield.

Third, Im frankly stunned at the sheer scale of the international economic sanctions against Russia. I did not expect the West to unite so swiftly and decisively. Now, heres my question: Do the sanctions rally the Russian people against Vladimir Putin, or is there a chance they rally the Russian people against the West? We hope that Russians turn against Putin, but we shouldnt assume they will, and if history teaches us anything, its that the Russian nation will endure and persevere through immense suffering when it is under attack.

Now on to the main subjectJoe Bidens potentially permanent political weakness.

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What Obama and Trump Had That Biden Doesn't - The Atlantic

Since he was sworn in as Russia's leader in 2000, Vladimir Putin has dealt with five U.S. presidents to varying degrees of diplomacy.

The question of how the U.S. deals with one of its oldest adversaries has once again risen after Putin launched an invasion of Ukraine, with President Joe Biden facing a next major foreign policy test on how he handles the crisis.

Many conservatives have suggested that Biden is more to blame than Putin launching an attack on the neighboring country and that such a military operation would have never occurred under Donald Trump's watch.

Below, Newsweek looks back at how Biden and the previous presidents over the past 22 years interacted with Putin.

Biden and Putin had their first face-to-face meeting in June 2021 at a summit in Geneva.

Biden announced beforehand that he was keen to use the summit to repair the strained relationship between the U.S and Russia following years of allegations the country had interfered in the 2016 election.

Photos from the day appear to show Biden willing to maintain a decent relationship with Putin and Russia, with both presidents seen smiling as they shook hands at the summit held at the La Grange Villa near Lake Geneva.

"The tone of the entire meeting was good, positive," Biden said following the meeting: "The bottom line is, I told President Putin that we need to have some basic rules of the road that we can all abide by."

The friendly tone arrived just months after Biden Biden told ABC News the Russian president would "pay the price" for allegedly interfering in the 2020 election and referred to Putin as a "killer."

Trump and Putin frequently met during his time in the White House, although details about what the pair spoke about were often not disclosed.

One of their most famous meeting was in the Finish capital of Helsinki, where Trump dismissed suggestions that Russia colluded to tip the results of the 2016 election in his favor.

Trump infamously told the press conference that he did not "see any reason why it would be" Russia which is alleged to have interfered in the 2016 election, although Trump later claimed he misspoke and instead meant to say "wouldn't."

Trump, who seemingly never wanted to criticize Putin, made a similar statement when the two met again on November 11, 2017, at a meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Da Nang, Vietnam.

"Every time he sees me, he says, 'I didn't do that,'" Trump said. "And I believe, I really believe, that when he tells me that, he means it. I think he is very insulted by it."

The pair first met during a G20 meeting in Hamburg, Germany, in July 2017, although they had communicated with each via telephone and telegraph before this.

Throughout his presidency, Trump considered Putin a key ally and still praises him to this day.

One president who did not shy away from his criticism of Putin was Barack Obama.

In August 2013, Obama canceled a planned meeting with Putin at the U.S.-Russia summit after NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden fled to Russian seeking asylum after leaking thousands of classified documents.

The New York Timesreported it was the first time in decades that a U.S. president had canceled such a meeting, and that the relationship between the two former cold war adversaries was once again approaching near irreparable.

The pair continued to clash down the years. Obama opposed Russia's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, as well as Putin's backing of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad's regime amid the country's war.

The pair once again met to discuss foreign policy a few years later, with the relationship still appearing to be standoffish.

One of the most famous images during Obama's time in office arrived at the G20 Leaders Summit in Hangzhou, China, as the U.S. president stared down his Russian counterpart in September 2016.

The frosty reception arrived as the pair discussed a potential ceasefire in Syria. However, Obama later said that "gaps of trust" prevented reaching an agreement and that the 90-minute discussion between the pair was "candid, blunt, businesslike."

The GOP president famously said after his first meeting in Slovenia in 2001 with Putin that he looked him in the eye to "get a sense of his soul".

"He's a man deeply committed to his country," Bush added.

However, the relationship soured down the years, including telling former British Prime Minister Tony Blair that he lost his cool during a meeting with Putin and his interpreter made me "so mad that I nearly reached over the table and slapped the hell out of the guy."

Clinton was in the White House when Putin became Russia's president for the first time, but previously knew him from his stint as Russia prime minister.

Clinton, who famously had a friendly rapport with Putin's predecessor Boris Yeltsin, met with Putin for the first time in Moscow on June 3, 2000. An official told The New York Times that the meeting, in which they discussed a range of issues such as the American-Russian nuclear relationship, was businesslike,'' ''congenial'' and ''easygoing.''

"Remember that the two presidents do know each other, and that was quite apparent from the beginning," the official added.

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How Joe Biden, Donald Trump and Barack Obama Interacted With PutinIn Photos - Newsweek

Regardless of what one publication mistakenly reported,Aisha Tyleris not the daughter of Barack and Michelle Obama.

The comedian/actress/former co-host of the Talkhit Twitter over the weekend after the Daily Mailmistook her for the Obamas 20-year-old daughterSasha in a photos caption. The pictures weretaken atMother Wolf in Los Angeles, where Tyler was spotted greeting Jay-Z andBeyonce as she walked by their table. The caption saidshe was just seven years old when she and her sister Malia became the First Daughters.

Dear @DailyMailUK: I VERY much appreciate you mistaking me for the lovely 20-year-old Sasha Obama, Tyler, 51,wroteon Sunday. Ill assume that was due to my buoyant, youthful appearance & not just messy journalism.

Still, Aishaadded it was fantastic to see the legendaryBeyonc & Jay-Z at dinner, writing that the pair were both dazzling and gracious.

Today itwas reported by former Forbes writer Zack OMalley Greenburg that Hovwas the highest-paid hip-hop artist of 2021, rising above both Kanye West and Diddy withhis impressive estimated$470 million in earnings. Jays financial victory was largely a result of his Tidal and Armand de Brignac champagne deals;he was No. 2 on OMalley Greenburgs list of the highest-paid overall musicians of 2021, falling only behind Bruce Springsteen and his$590M income.

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Aisha Tyler Responds to Tabloid Erroneously Identifying Her as Sasha Obama in Photo With Beyonc and Jay-Z - Complex

Back in 2010, President Barack Obama rang in his 49th birthday with a pick-up game that would be considered an NBA dream team. Now, a piece of basketball history is making its way to auction as one of the memorable sports memorabilia pieces to date.

The ball up for auction comes from a game the former president played in front of wounded warriors and members of the White Houses mentoring program. Obama played alongside some of the NBAs greats including the late Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Magic Johnson and Carmelo Anthony. The Robb Report has reported that the Spalding TF-1000 is currently listed at Heritage Auctions for its Winte Platinum Night Sports Auctions.

Other stars present at the game was Dwyane Wade, Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah. Alonzo Mourning, who was a former Miami Heat forward came out of retirement to join Johnson on the court. Bidding on the ball has already surpassed the auction houses initial $12,000 USD estimate. The sale ends on February 27.

In other sports memorabilia news, a full ticket for Michael Jordans 1984 NBA debut with the Chicago Bulls was recently up for auction.

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A Basketball Signed by Kobe Bryant and LeBron James From President Obama's Pickup Game Is up for Auction - HYPEBEAST

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Since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, U.S. presidents of both major political parties have had their fair share of setbacks, failures, and outright disasters in foreign policy. But few, if any, have been quite as stark as Democrats' mishandling of the situation in Ukraine.

After decades of abuse at the hands of brutal Soviet regimes, Ukraine now stands on the brink of war with Russia, and for the time being, it seems no one is coming to its rescue.

RUSSIA INVADED UKRAINE: LIVE UPDATES

Although the relationship and history between Russia and Ukraine are complex, the failure of Democratic presidents' leadership, as well as their contributions to the current crisis, couldnt be clearer.

Clinton's Nuclear-Sized Mistake

First, theres President Bill Clintons disastrous decision to support the nuclear disarmament of Ukraine, a choice supported by numerous congressional Democrats then and since.

At the time of the fall of the Soviet Union, Ukraine had the third-largest nuclear arsenal in the world. Ukraine controlled some 5,000 nuclear weapons, including, as the New York Times noted in a report earlier this month, "long-range missiles that carried up to 10 thermonuclear warheads, each far stronger than the bomb that leveled Hiroshima."

In 1992, Ukraine signed the Lisbon Protocol, agreeing to return the nuclear weapons it had inherited from the Soviet government back to Russia. But members of the Ukrainian parliament soon thereafter increasingly voiced serious concerns over total nuclear disarmament, in large part due to fears of a future conflict with Russia.

Throughout 1992 and 1993, Russia and the Clinton White House worked furiously to convince Ukraine to give up all of its nuclear weapons. After substantial political pressure, Ukraine caved in 1994, but only after the United States, Russia, and the United Kingdom agreed to protect Ukraine in the event of a future attack on the nations sovereignty, as well as financial support and a number of other assurances.

RUSSIA-UKRAINE CRISIS: NIKKI HALEY SAYS BIDEN 'FAILING' IN 'MAJOR LEADERSHIP MOMENT'

Ukraine dismantled and relinquished its nuclear weapons, giving President Clinton and the Russians a diplomatic victory. The decision has haunted Ukraine ever since.

Had Ukraine maintained at least part of its nuclear arsenal, it is highly unlikely Russia would be considering an invasion today.

Broken Promises

The most critical part of Ukraines 1994 agreement to disarm was the pledge by the United States, Russia, and United Kingdom to protect Ukraine against unwarranted aggression. The initial agreement, the so-called Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances, was later reaffirmed in 2009 by President Barack Obama.

However, in 2014, Obama watched as Russian-backed rebels, with support from Russian troops, seized control of Crimea, a region belonging to Ukraine. The rebel-backed government then seceded from Ukraine and annexed it to Vladimir Putins government in Russia.

BIDEN'S FOREIGN POLICY DILEMMA IN UKRAINE PROMPTS MEDIA SCRUTINY REMINISCENT OF AFGHANISTAN

The Obama administration, working alongside officials from the European Union, responded by issuing sanctions and freezing Russian assets. They also imposed travel restrictions. Obama did not, though, keep the promise the United States made in 1994 and 2009 to protect the sovereignty of Ukraine.

Of course, Putin didnt flinch, and Crimea has been a part of Russia ever since.

The Big Green Power Vacuum

President Obama and his then-vice president, Joe Biden, were fierce opponents of the fossil-fuel industry for both of Obamas terms. They opposed the Keystone XL pipeline, forced states to adopt "renewable" energy like wind and solar, issued countless regulations that killed hundreds of coal-fired power plants, and restricted drilling and exploration of natural gas on public landspolicies the United States has once again adopted under President Biden.

In addition to having a negative impact on U.S. economic growth, these policies caused numerous nations to turn to Russia for low-cost energy.

Instead of importing fossil fuels from American companies, the European Union has become dependent on Russia, which is now the number-one source of natural gas in Europe, supplying about 41% of the regions supply. Russia is also the largest supplier of crude oil and coal.

Due to the Biden administrations failure in leadership, the United States has never looked weaker.

Because much of Europe now depends on Russian energy, it cant afford to stand up to Russias hostilities in Ukraine or anywhere else, for that matter.

The Trump administration attempted to convince European nations to depend on the United States vast natural gas production instead, but such appeals largely failed because European leaders knew Donald Trump wouldnt be president forever, and that a Democratic administration would swiftly attempt to scale back fossil-fuel development.

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Or, in the words of one energy expert wrote for the National Interest in 2019, "Why bet the proverbial farm on a U.S. [liquified natural gas] supply across the Atlantic if there remains significant doubt as to whether a Democratic successor to Trump particularly as 2020 candidates endorse the so-called Green New Deal with varying degrees of enthusiasm would continue with such plans?"

Afghanistan

Of course, no list of Democratic presidents policy failures would be complete without mentioning Bidens disastrous withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan in 2021.

As a recent report from Republicans on the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs accurately summarized, "The Biden Administration squandered precious time, ignored intelligence and recommendations from people on the ground, and refused bipartisan support to give them the resources to succeed. In the process, the botched withdrawal has tarnished Americas reputation and credibility."

And Ukraine is now paying the price.

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Due to the Biden administrations failure in leadership, the United States has never looked weaker. Putin knows this, of course, and he is using the opportunity to expand his legacy, along with Russias borders.

Republicans have undoubtedly made some foreign policy mistakes in recent decades. But when it comes to the chaos were seeing in Ukraine today, Democrats, especially presidents Clinton, Obama, and Biden, deserve the lions share of the blame. The people of Ukraine are suffering as a result of their failures.

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How Democratic presidents Clinton, Obama and Biden caused the crisis in Ukraine - Fox News