The New York Post e-Edition

Hapless on Hostages

‘Let him go,” said President Biden when reporters asked if he had a message for Vladimir Putin on the arrest of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, then weirdly claiming, “We’re in the process.”

Vlad must be quaking in his boots, especially after Veep Kamala Harris announced, “We will not tolerate — and condemn, in fact — repression of journalists.”

Yet they are tolerating it: Biden said that any actual repercussions, such as expelling Russian diplomats, are so far off the table.

Condemn away, Kamala. Putin’s annoyed that Gershkovich recently filed a story exposing Russia’s economic decline since it invaded Ukraine, and the thugocrat will repress any journalists he damn well pleases.

Plus, his supply of US hostages is running low since he redeemed WNBA star Brittney Griner for “merchant of death” Viktor Bout.

The Bidenites have no clue how to handle the Kremlin’s hostage-taking. That means Paul Whelan, a Marine serving a 16-year sentence on trumped-up spy charges, is out of luck, not to mention two dozen others like Jimmy Wilgus.

Putin and his ilk will keep at it until America elects a president willing to answer these outrages with an escalating response.

Biden could start by sending home every Russian in the DC embassy, then expelling all of Vlad’s “journalists” now in America.

Quit pretending Putin is civilized, and treat him as the uncultured mobster he is.

POST OPINION

en-us

2023-04-01T07:00:00.0000000Z

2023-04-01T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://nypost.pressreader.com/article/282059101264761

New York Post