The Biden administration would have us believe that it is robustly opposing a potentially imminent Russian invasion of Ukraine.

At the same time, however, Team Biden is sending a very mixed signal to Moscow. As part of its obsession with reaching some new Iran nuclear agreement, U.S. diplomats are reportedly relying on their Russian counterparts to facilitate secret negotiations with the mullahs. There are many reasons to be concerned about this activity – including its lubrication by the release to Tehran of billions of dollars held by South Korea and the promised, premature termination of sanctions.

But you can’t both expect to deter a thug like Vladimir Putin and rely on his good offices vis a vis Iran. Wars often start by miscalculation. And encouraging perceptions of, at best,  Washington’s incoherence, and at worst, its cynical dishonesty about protecting Ukraine actually invites it.

This is Frank Gaffney.