Does Putin Have A Death Wish? Dragging with him an enfebbled Trump into WW3?

The last two weeks has seen a flurry of diplomatic meetings on both sides of the Atlantic pond to try and secure a resolution of Putin's war with Ukraine.

The EU, UK, and international supporters of Zelensky and Ukraine have been pitted against
Putin's Kremlin 'siloviki' and Trump's 'politically ignorant' US Envoys i.e. Witkoff and Kushner,  to argue about the details of  the 'Putin 28-point surrender of Ukraine' to Putin . 

As Ferdinand Knapp (left) reports,

“There is no more important act of European defense than supporting Ukraine’s defense. The next days will be a crucial step for securing this,” [Ursula] von der Leyen (European Commission president) said." (Politico: 17 December 2025) (my emphasis)

Underscoring Ursula von den Leyen's, "There is no more important act of European defense than supporting Ukraine’s defense",  Emily Wright (right) reports that,

"With Ukraine facing a harrowing winter of cold and blackouts as Vladimir Putin's air campaign continues to target homes, hospitals and power stations, the UK has committed £600 million in air-defence capabilities, including cutting-edge turrets that are capable of shooting down Russian drones." (Daily Express on MSN: 18 December 2025) (my emphasis) 

As reported by The Economic Times,

"German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (left) has issued a stark warning, declaring that  decades of 'Pax Americana' are over for Europe. Speaking on shifting transatlantic ties, Merz said the era of US-led security guarantees is fading and urged European nations to strengthen their own independent defence capabilities. " (The Economic Times: 15 December 2025) (my emphasis)

   

DW News: 15 December 2025: YouTube

As Ben Meiselas (left) also reports,

"Finally Donald Trump is receiving the message from furious European leaders that Trump should have received a long time ago. Europe is done with Donald Trump. Europe is done with the United States as long as it is led by Donald Trump. The 'Pax Ameicana' ..... is over. (Meidas Touch: 16 December 2025) (my emphasis)

 

 Meidas Touch: 16 December 2025

Yet Putin is adament that Ukraine must surrender to him, and in this he is supported  by Witkoff and Kushner.

He continues to demand that Ukraine surrender the whole of the Donbas over to him, nothwithstanding the fact that Ukraine is still in control of a large portion thereof. 

 

WION: 18 December 2025: YouTube

He contiues to shake his puny fists at the UK and the EU in the hope that this will stem the emerging tide of the Russian people beginning to rise in anger against :-

• his failing Russian economy, and his
• use of the FSB to increase the suppression of the people of Russia. 

 

Inside Russia: 17 December 2025: YouTube

 

Times News: 17 December 2025: YouTube

 And emerging from wherever he has been skulking in Russia, Lavrov (left), that dyed-in-thr-wool Soviet Foreign Minister, repeated Putin's demented view of history on Iranian TV by stating that, 

"Now Europe, and until recently the Biden administration, is trying to do the same: to unite all European countries, pump Ukraine with money and weapons, and give it the Nazi flag. 
… 
And now, under the Nazi flag, with European money, with European instructors, with European and generally Western intelligence data, pumping Ukraine with more and more modern weapons, Europe is once again at war with our country with the hands and bodies of Ukrainians." (Karl Sanchez: Karlof1_Substack: 16 December 2025) (my emphasis)

Putin's desperation now knows no bounds.

He is inching towards WW3, dragging an increasingly enfeebled Trump along with him.

URGENT UPDATE!!: 18 December 2025: GMT: 15:17  

In the last two hours Putin had decided, once more, to throw down the gauntlet. The video below explains it all.

The question to be posed is :-

"Does Putin Have A Death Wish? Dragging with him an enfebbled Trump  into WW3?"

 

Times of India: 18 December 2025: YouTube 

  

 (to be continued)

Panicked Putin now has nowhere to go to; no-one to turn to.

The last few days have seen a critical 'political upheaval' in diplomatic and political circles between Donald Trump, the Europeans, UK Prime minister Starmer, and Zelensky.

And furiously pacing around in his bunker, Putin and his Kremlin cohorts are desperately trying to 'square the circle' of the impending economic collapse of the Russian economy.

 

Inside Russia: 11 December 2025: YouTube 

At the same time, Putin is, almost manically, bombing Ukraine's civilians into a submission that will force them into accepting his 'unconditional surrender', as laid out in his '28-Point total surrender of Ukraine' plan to 'save his political, and actual, life.

Like Putin, Trump is frantically focussed on his 'Nobel Peace Prize', his plummeting standing in the eyes of Americans, and his warped determination to force Zelensky to accept the 'unconditional surrender of Ukraine to Putin.

This, he 'delusionally' believes, will allow his to, once again, regain his status as a 'near saviour' during this holiday period, gifting 'peace' to the American public. 

In her interview with Trump, Dasha Burns (left) begins by asking Trump :-

Burns: One of the most pressing issues in Europe right now is the war between Russia and Ukraine. Your team has been going back and forth ...

Trump: I wouldn’t say one. I would say ...

Burns: The ...

Trump: ... the most.

Burns: The most. You’re right. Um, your team has been going back and forth between Putin and Zelenskyy with various drafts of his peace deal. Which country right now is in the stronger negotiating position?

Trump: Well, there can be no question about it. It’s Russia. It’s a much bigger country.  (Politico: 9 December 2025) (my emphasis)

Further along in the interview, Dasha Burns asks :-

Burns: Well, you ... your administration just released a new national security strategy that sent shockwaves throughout Europe. The strategy says a key pillar of American foreign policy should be “cultivating resistance to Europe’s current trajectory within European nations.” How much should European leaders prepare for your administration to ... to push to reshape the continent’s politics?

Trump: Well, Europe is a different place.

Burns: What do you mean by that?

Trump: And if it keeps going the way it’s going, Europe will not be ... in my opinion, uh, many of those countries will not be viable countries any longer. Their immigration policy is a disaster. What they’re doing with immigration is a disaster. Uh, we had a disaster coming, but I was able to stop it. You know, we have no people coming through our borders now, zero, seven months. I mean, who would believe zero? We went from millions of people — in some cases, millions of people a month — but millions of people to no people. (ibid  Dasha Burns) 

 

 Excerpts from Politico : 10 December 2025: YouTube

Needless to say, these remarks of Trump triggered a 'backlash' from European and British leaders. 

As  Seb Starcevic and Zoya Sheftalovich (left) report,

"European Council President António Costa said Europe and

the U.S. “must act as allies” — and urged the Republican leader to show “respect.”

“We respect the choice of Americans, and they need to respect the democratic choices of our citizens,” he added during a press conference in Ireland. “When all the leaders elect me President of the European Council, President Trump must respect this. As we respect that American citizens elected him President of the United States. It is like this, that allies behave with each other.” (Politico: 9 December 20254) (my emphasis)

Similarly, as Noah Keate (right) reports, 

"But the British prime minister rejected Trump’s criticisms at the weekly session of prime minister’s questions in the House of Commons, and claimed European nations had robust values worth defending.

“What I see is a strong Europe, united behind Ukraine and united behind our longstanding values of freedom and democracy,” Starmer told MPs on Wednesday. “I will always stand up for those values and those freedoms.” " (Politico: 10 December 2025) (my emphasis)

Richard Connor (left) reports on a more strident response of Germany to Trump's comments. 

"Merz (right) ...  said Europe needs to become less dependent on the United States, responding directly to Washington's strategic shift.

While Merz rejected components of the US strategy, he also described it 
as unsurprising in substance, with the document roughly reflecting what US Vice President JD Vance already said in February at the Munich Security Conference.

"I see no need for the Americans to now try to save democracy in Europe. If it needed saving, we would be able to handle that on our own," he added. (DW: 9 December 2025) (my emphasis)

 

 The Economic Times: 10 December 2025: YouTube 

Let us also not forget that US vice president Vance, a strong supporter of  Project 2025, whose central theme is, "to reshape the federal government of the United States and consolidate executive power in favor of right-wing policies" (Wikipedia), 

"Vance previously accused Germany and other European allies of restricting freedom of expression and excluding parties such as the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD)." (ibid Richard Connor)

And against this backdrop, Konstantin Samoilov (left) examines the 'real reasons' behind Putin's recent visit to Indian Premier Modi.

As he explains,

"Vladimir Putin didn't just visit India. He rushed to India. He went there not to talk about 'peace in  Ukraine', not to discuss how to fix global security. He went there for two simple things. Money and people.  [India's $2 Trillion Oil Deal Exposed]" Watch the video below for his analysis. (Inside Russia: 9 December 2025: YouTube) (my emphasis)

 

Inside Russia: 9 December 2025: YouTube

Like I said, "Putin is "furiously" pacing around in his bunker, as he and his Kremlin cohorts are desperately trying to 'square the circle' of the impending economic collapse of the Russian economy". 

Further adding to Putin's woes,

"US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday, December 10 that he exchanged "pretty strong words" with the leaders of France, Britain and Germany on Ukraine, in the latest sign of a growing rift on how to end Russia's invasion.
… 
Trump added that the Europeans wanted to hold fresh talks this weekend but warned that they risked "wasting time" amid divisions over a US plan to bring the war to an end. "They would like us to go to a meeting over the weekend in Europe, and we'll make a determination depending on what they come back with. We don't want to be wasting time." (Le Monde: 11 December 2025) (my emphasis)

Oh! how Putin wishes that J.D. Vance now was the US president since,

"He views JD Vance ascending to the US presidency following, perhaps, a collapse of the health of Trump, as being more 'favourable' to his demands about the full surrender of Ukraine before he will end his war, rather than the continuous political 'uncertainties' of Trump."

And as the 'Iron Curtain' falls between the US and the EU, and between Great Britain and the US, the knives are been sharpened by Putin's 'siloviki' behind his back.

Putin now has nowhere to go to; no-one to turn to.

  

 (to be continued)

Is Putin's saviour now only a heartbeat away from the US presidency?

The 'selling out' of Ukraine by Trump to 'allay' Putin's 'paranoia' :-

• about the Russian army's continuing failures in Putin's war with Ukraine, 
• the 'imploding' Russian economy, 
• and the sharpening of knives behind Putin's back amongst his 'siloviki',

could not be more apparant than in Trump's remarks at the Kennedy Centre yesterday. (7 December 2025)  

As Lilia Sebouai  reports,

"Donald Trump claimed Volodymyr Zelensky has not read his latest peace plan to end the Ukraine war, expressing his “disappointment” with the Ukrainian leader.

The US president suggested Mr Zelensky is preventing talks from moving forward at the Kennedy Center on Sunday night. (The Telegraph: 8 December 2025) (my emphasis) 

 

Times of India: 8 December 2025: YouTube 

More disconcerting we have Trump, making dangerous assumptions as though they were incontrovertible 'truths' :-

• about the people of Ukraine 'loving his so-called 'peace proposals', and ignoring the strong antipathy of the people of Ukraine toward his 'selling out of Ukraine to Putin',

which simply beggars belief.

As Lilia Sebouai further reports   

“I’m a little bit disappointed that president Zelensky hasn’t yet read the proposal, that was as of a few hours ago. His people love it, but he hasn’t,” Mr Trump said. 

“Russia is, I believe, fine with it, but I’m not sure that Zelensky’s fine with it. His people love it. But he isn’t ready.” (ibid Lilia Sebouai) (cf also: Times of India)

Even more disconcerting, we have Trump's son, Donald Trump junior (left), issuing a warning at the Doha Forum in Qatar that,

"When it comes to actually writing a cheque ourselves  ... no .. no .. no the US is not going to do this. The American public doesn't have an appetite for [financially supporting Ukraine in its war with Putin] ... since the .. you know .. the invasion of Ukraine [by Putin] " ( ibid Times of India )   

Then we have JD Vance (right), current and youngest Vice President of the US, who was pushed into his  Vice Presidency by Donald Trump junior, and who is surroundd not only by Peter Thiel, who bankrolled his Senate election to the tune of $10 million, and Elon Musk but, more significantly, by the young conservatives affiliated with Project 2025.

Let us remind ourselves that Project 2025 is,

"Project 2025 (also known as the 2025 Presidential Transition Project) is a political initiative published in April 2023 by the Heritage Foundation think tank to reshape the federal government of the United States and consolidate executive power in favor of right-wing policies" (Wikipedia)

Let us further remind ourselves that JD Vance is on record proclaiming that,

"Just after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Vance, then a candidate for U.S. Senate, said: "I gotta be honest with you, I don't really care what happens to Ukraine one way or another." (Veronika Melkozerova (left): Politico: 16 July 2024) (my emphasis)

Fast foreward to 2025 and, as reported by Memphis Barker (left)

"On Saturday, Mr Vance personally praised the 28-point plan, (Sarah Shamim (right): Al Jazeera: 21 November 2025) writing on X that “peace won’t be made by failed diplomats or politicians living in a fantasy land”. The vice-president added that any agreement had to be “acceptable to both Russia and Ukraine”. (The Telegraph: 25 November 2025) (my emphasis)   

The '28-point' capitulation plan of Ukraine, designed in the Kremlin by Putin, continues JD Vance's attitude since 2023 that, "I don't really care what happens to Ukraine one way or another."  

At our peril do we ignore the extreme right wing views of JD Vance on Ukraine, bearing in mind that 79 year-old Donald Trump's health is not quite in the 'perferct state' that he is so fond of reminding us about. 

Indeed, Putin may view JD Vance ascending to the US presidency following, perhaps, a collapse of the health of Trump, as being more 'favourable' to his demands about the full surrender of Ukraine before he will end his war, rather than the continuous political 'uncertainties' of Trump.

 

Meidas Touch: 6 December 2025: YouTube 

And against this backdrop, we now  have Putin, "Throwing all his oligarchs under the bus as his war with Ukraine goes bad", as Business Basics reports.

Business Basics:7 December 2025: YouTube 

 

 Inside Russia: 8 December 2025: YouTube

As Putin clings to his "soggy war straws" for dear life, his 'paranoid' mind now continuously swings towards the thought of a JD Vance as an imminent President of the US.

"Is Putin's saviour now only a heartbeat away from the US presidency?" 

  

 (to be continued)

Putin's new threats signify his clutching at 'soggy war straws' to save his life.

As the late Harold Wilson said, in the lead up to the 1964 British election,

"‘A week is a long time in politics.’ (Wikipedia) 

Fast forward to 2025, and the last 4 days has seen :-

• Russian President Vladimir Putin offered India uninterrupted fuel supplies on Friday, eliciting a cautious response even as he and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi agreed to expand trade and defence ties between countries with decades-old ties (Shivam Patel and YP Rajesh (right): (Reuters: 5 December 2025) (my emphasis)
• 
  "Senior Ukrainian and US negotiators have jointly called on Russia to show a "serious commitment to long-term peace" after talks in Moscow earlier this week failed to produce a breakthrough.
  … 
  The prospect of ending the war in Ukraine depended on Russia's readiness to take "steps towards de-escalation and cessation of killing", the statement said". (Nardine Saad and Harry Sekulich (right): BBC News: 6 December 2025) (my emphasis)
• 
  After warning that, ".. "His country, [Putin] said, "wasn't planning to go to war with Europe - but if Europe suddenly wants to go to war and starts one, we are ready right now". (Maia Davies and Laura Gozzi (right): BBC News: 2 December 2025)
• 
  John Mearsheimer (right) now reports that, " ... Hours, that forced the White House to issue a rare and urgent warning to the American people and allies worldwide. ...  What Russia did today … crossed a line that American officials had hoped would hold. And when that critical line broke, when the threshold was crossed, Ukraine did not even hesitate for even a moment. They responded with force. … Russia was preparing something unconventional. (John Mearsheimer: Unfazed316: 6 December 2025: YouTube) (my emphasis)  

 

 John Mearsheimer: Unfazed316: 6 December 2025: YouTube

 Rachel Maddow (left) details the escalation that Putin is  preparing, and that has elicited a response from the US that Putin simply did not see coming.

As she reports, following a deep strike by Ukraine inside Russian territory against a Russian Command Centre,

"Ukraine hit a target that seemed to be untouchable. ... Ukraine struck a military location roughly 200 miles inside Russian teritory. ... Russia's Ministry of Defence issued an emergency statement accusing the United States, NOT Ukraine, the United States, on enabling the attack. ... Russian officials claimed that the strike would not have been possible without direct American involvement ..." (Rachel Maddow Talks: 5 December 2025: YouTube) (my emphasis)

 

 Rachel Maddow Talks: 5 December 2025: YouTube

The attack by Ukraine on a Russian Command Centre, and that has up-ended  Putin's threatening new troop and military equipment movements, has simply increased Putin's paranoia. 

As reported by John T Psaropoulos (left),

"Putin increasingly belligerent as truce talks flounder, Ukraine war rages.

Asked about peace last week, Putin told journalists, “We still have proposals coming in about ceasing hostilities. When the Ukrainian troops leave the areas they are now occupying, then the hostilities will cease. And if they don’t, we will make them leave using our firepower.”

Putin also threatened Europe, playing into fears of a broadened war.

“We have no intention of going to war with Europe,” he said. “But if Europe suddenly wants to fight us and does, we’re ready right now.” (AlJazeera: 5 December 2025) (my emphasis)

The 'Red Carpet' treatment meted out to Putin by Narendra Modi signifies that,

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that India is not neutral and is on the side of peace, as he addressed the issue of Russia-Ukraine war, during President Vladimir Putin's two-day visit to the country." (Shashwat Bhandari (Ed): Times Now: 5 December 2025) (my emphasis),

whilst at the same time,

"[Putin and Modi] also agreed to reshape their defence ties to take account of New Delhi's push for self-reliance through joint research and development, as well as the production of advanced defence platforms." (ibid (Shivam Patel and YP Rajesh)

The recent and pre-emptive attack by Ukraine on that key Russian Command Centre, and that has up-ended  Putin's threatening new troop and military equipment movements, should give Modi 'pause for concern' about the Putin-Modi reshaping of defence ties.  

Putin's new threats simply signify his clutching at 'soggy war straws' to save his life. 

  

 (to be continued)

Putin is now more than at panic stations! Putin is now at his most dangerous!

In the 1987 movie, "Wall Street", Michael Doughlas (right), the actor, proclaims that,

"The point is, ladies and gentlemen that, 'Greed', for lack of a better word, is good. 

• Greed is right. 
• Greed works. 
• Greed clarifies, cuts through, and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit in all its forms. 
• Greed for life, money, for love, knowledge, has marked the upward surge of mankind,
• and Greed, you mark my words, will not only save Teldark Paper, but that other malfunctiong corporation called the USA. ('Wall Street' Movie clip: YouTube) (my emphasis)

 

'Wall Street' Movie clip: YouTube 

 Donald J. Trump was 41 when this movie erupted on the international movie scene. 

 Already he was president of the family's real estate business, the "Trump Organization", acquiring and building skyscrapers, hotels, casinos, and golf courses. He also launched side ventures, many licensing the Trump name, and filed for six business bankruptcies in the 1990s and 2000s. (cf.:Wikipedia)

Fast forward to today, and in an interview conducted by Chris Jansing, Michael Mcfaul, referring to the joint meeting between Russia and the US to discuss a 'peace' roadmap for Putin's war with Ukraine, states that,

" ... You have three businessmen at the table, two Americans and Kirill Dmitriev. This is highly unusual. Why is US-Russia business deals part of a negotiation to end the war in Ukraine? So that, already, is the first step of the strangenss of this delegation." (Chris Jansing: MS Now: 2 December 2025: YouTube) (my emphasis)

McFaul further states that,

"Notably absent is the [Russian] Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov (right). And from the very get-go, when these negotiations started, Dmitriev showed up to talk to the Americans to put on the table 'business deals'. " (ibid Chris Jansing)

 

Chris Jansing: MS Now: 2 December 2025: YouTube 

  According to Konstantin Samoilov (left),

"As I speak right now, two Americans, Donald Trump's son-in-law and his former business partner [Steve Witkoff], without ANY diplomatic experience, are in Moscow negotiating with Vladimir Putin. This is the fresh video filmed at Red Square, just a few hours ago. Witkoff and Kushner entering the Kremlin, publicly with fanfare. ... 

A few weeks ago I might have said they were negotiating a 'peace deal'.

Today I call it what it really is. a grand 'clown show'. " (Inside Putin's Fake Peace Plan: 2 December 2025: YouTube)

 

Inside Putin's Fake Peace Plan: 2 December 2025: YouTube  

Samoilov goes on to explain that,

"Russia is not on the side that needs to negotite anything. To end the war the Kremlin [Putin] needs exactly one thing. To order its troops to stop." (ibid Samoilov)

Putin, however, needs his war with Ukraine simply to ensure his OWN survival, as argued by Samoilov.

It is therefore no wonder that, as Maia Davies (left) and Laura Gozzi report (right), 

"Five hours of talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump's senior negotiator appear to have failed to produce a breakthrough on securing a Ukraine peace deal.
… 
Speaking ahead of the talks, Putin lashed out at leaders on the continent who have supported Kyiv's defensive war effort since Russia launched a full-scale invasion in 2022.

He said European leaders were under the illusion they could inflict a strategic defeat on Russia. His country, he said, "wasn't planning to go to war with Europe - but if Europe suddenly wants to go to war and starts one, we are ready right now". (BBC News: 2 December 2025) (my emphasis) 

 

 France 24 English: 2 December 2025: YouTube

Putin's bluster about, "if Europe suddenly wants to go to war and starts one, we are ready right now", belies the fact that, as Rachel Maddow (left) points out,

 "In 2025 Vladimir Putin is waking up to a nightmare that is so ironic, so historically poetic that he cannot believe it is real. 
… 
Reports are now confirming that Ukraine has developed a new ballistic missile. It is called the FP7
... 
They cloned the Russian S400 missile ... 
... 
Ukraine did not make a worst 'copy'. They made a better one.
...
The FP9 version can travel 855 Kilometres, Moscow range." (Headlines Frontier: 27 November 2025: YouTube) (my emphasis)

 

Headlines Frontier: 27 November 2025: YouTube 

Putin is now more than at panic stations!

An imploding Russian economy, his '28 Point Ukraine surrender plan' relegated to the dustbin of history, and threatening that " if Europe suddenly wants to go to war and starts one, we are ready right now",

simply serves to underline the near total paranoid state of his mind. 

Putin is now at his most dangerous! 

UPDATE: 4 December 2025: GMT: 09:51 

Finally the truth about Putin's 'arrogance' in invading and annexing Crimea in 2014, and Angela Merkel's 'disguised' support thereof, is begining to emerge.

As Reuben F. Johnson (left) explains, from a story by Harry Kazianis (President of the National Security Journal) (right), 

"Breaking with the practices of the last German Chancellor from his party, Angela Merkel, the current occupant of the office, Friedrich Merz, has laid out a stark and unhappy future for Russian President Vladimir Putin." (National Security Journal on MSN: 29 November 2025) (my emphasis)

He goes on to further explain that,

"However, rather than trying to “understand” the Russian leader or engineer a face-saving exit for him [Putin] as Merkel has been criticized for in retrospect, Merz is being brutally straightforward about the position Putin and his Kremlin entourage find themselves in."
…
The German leader then declared Germany would continue supporting Ukraine “for as long as possible.”."  (ibid Reuben F. Johnson)  

And the political 'fallout' from the failed Kushner-Witkoff "business deal" at the Kremlin with Putin's 'puppets', disguised as a "peace deal to end Putin's war with Ukraine", has simply revealed the 'Greed is good' mentality of the Trump-Elephant in the Kremlin Negotiating Room.

As Michael McFaul stated in his interview with Chris Jansing,

" ... You have three businessmen at the table, two Americans and Kirill Dmitriev. This is highly unusual. Why is US-Russia business deals part of a negotiation to end the war in Ukraine? "(ibid Chris Jansing)

It is now as 'internationally' obvious as 'night following day'.

As Bill Browder (left) states,

"What Putin is most afraid of is for [Russian] people to get mad at him. 

And so the best way for them not to be mad at him is to be mad at a foreign enemy. 

And so I don't see Putin, anytime in the near term, re-integrating into the west because he needs foreign enemies to stay in power in Russia.

And Putin understands very clearly if he's not in power in Russia all his money gets taken away, he goes to jail, and he probably gets killed". (Times Radio: 3 December 2025: YouTube) (my emphasis)  

Putin is now more than at panic stations! 

 

Times Radio: 3 December 2025: YouTube 

  

 (to be continued)