In tonight’s CNN-hosted debate, incumbent U.S. President Joe Biden stated that in his opinion Putin “has made one thing clear” and that is that he wants to “re-establish” the “Soviet Empire.” Biden also stated that Putin wants “all of Ukraine” and will take Poland and other NATO countries after Ukraine.

Biden’s rhetoric, particularly concerning the phrase “Soviet Empire,” harkens back to the Cold War, especially the 1980’s with Reagan’s “Evil Empire” speech. The attempted projection of the largely ideological struggle of the Cold War onto the territorial conflict over the Donbas, particularly given that the current conflict was largely driven by the debate over NATO enlargement, a debate where Russia has played a primarily reactive role, highlights a disconnect between the Cold-Warrior rhetoric of Biden and the 21st-century reality on the ground. 

Biden also stated that, in his opinion, “Putin is a war criminal.”