Kyiv Post columnist Sergii Leshchenko wrote: “When Biden took office, he talked a big game about supporting Ukraine. Many pinned their hopes on him as the president who would stand up to Putin. But in spite of bipartisan pressure from Congress, in spite of a law specifically calling for sanctions against the project, he decided to waive sanctions to avoid a quarrel with Germany and other NATO allies.” Writing for the Kyiv Post, Max Hunder noted: “For U.S. President Joe Biden, the agreement was a way to repair relations with Germany after they soured during the Trump years, seeing Germany as a key ally in combating China’s influence around the world.”

At the opposite end of the spectrum, Ukraine’s bitter disappointment is rivaled only by Russia’s gloating. “Ukraine lost the battle,” Olga Skabeeva of 60 Minutes exclaimed this Monday, while discussing America’s failure to stop the completion of Nord Stream 2. During the same program, Igor Korotchenko, member of the Defense Ministry’s public advisory council, portrayed the matter as a major defeat for the United States. He claimed: “Today, the United States is totally unsuccessful. The escape from Afghanistan, the crash of the U.S. efforts to stop Nord Stream 2, failures in Libya and Iraq. Everywhere, Americans are getting their asses kicked.”