Russia is continuing to build an invasion force on its border with Ukraine, and what happens next is anyone’s guess. While the Ukrainians have attempted to downplay tensions, the Biden administration has been preaching the imminence of war for weeks now.

Logistically, it does seem like Russia is doing more than rattling its saber, and that’s leaving Biden in a very awkward position. What happens if Vladimir Putin does pull the trigger? How will the United States respond? Perhaps more importantly, how will Europe respond?

Today, Biden responded to that question by insisting that he would put the kibosh on Nordstream 2, the Russia to Germany pipeline that has become a centerpiece of the diplomatic negotiations.

BIDEN: "There will be no longer a Nord Stream 2. We will bring an end to it."

REPORTER: "How will you do that, exactly? Since the project and control of the project is within Germany's control?"

BIDEN: "I promise you we'll be able to do it." pic.twitter.com/xczO8eqhcS

— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) February 7, 2022

That’s a very good-sounding threat for the sycophants, but to be frank, such mindless bluster is likely unhelpful at this point. The time to put pressure on Russia was early in 2021 when Biden took office and then decided to hand Putin a huge gift by lifting the sanctions that the Trump administration had put in place. You don’t hand a despot everything they were demanding with no concessions and then think you can use the threat of taking it away late as leverage. That’s especially true when the United States doesn’t even have the ability to follow through on Biden’s threat.

Let’s recall that the White House’s initial excuse for lifting sanctions on the pipeline and its parent company was that it was essentially complete. How true that line was is open for interpretation, but Biden and his handlers insisted that prior progression of Nordstream 2 made continued opposition ineffective and nonsensical.

Yet, here we are almost a year later, and now Biden wants to pretend like he’s got a killswitch ready and waiting? He doesn’t, and it’s obvious he doesn’t, otherwise we wouldn’t be where we are right now. If any actual leverage existed over Nordstream 2 at this point, it would have been exercised before the first 50,000 men made it to Ukraine’s border.

What we are witnessing here is a president who has been thoroughly outmaneuvered. You can blame that on Biden’s senility or the general incapability he’s shown throughout his career. Whatever the reason, Putin has run circles around Biden over the last year and has succeeded in insulating Russia from any possible retaliation.

Couple that with NATO’s weakness and Germany’s outright hostility, and the United States is left with few options. Once Biden idiotically green-lit Nordstream 2, major parts of Europe were effectively delivered into Putin’s hands. Nuclear plants have already been shuttered, and the “green-energy” revolution has meant more and more reliance on natural gas and oil coming from Russia. That was Putin’s masterstroke. He has gained power over Europe without having to fire a shot, and Biden is wholly responsible for that.

Now, even if Putin doesn’t invade Ukraine, he’s already gotten what he wants. Nordstream 2 is safe, his control over Europe is solidified, and he’s securing military concessions from NATO. In the end, Russia comes out much stronger while the United States continues to look weak and pathetic under Biden’s complete lack of leadership.

Things won’t stop there, either. China is eager to make a move on Taiwan, and it’s just a matter of time at this point before that happens. With Biden being schooled by Putin, there’s no doubt Xi Jinping is ready to extract his pound of flesh as well. Elections have consequences, and they are on full display right now.