At this critical stage in Putin's war with Ukraine, the stakes could not be higher.

Following on from the turmoil in Russia precipitated by Putin's mobilization call, Richard Cowen (left) reports that, 

"The United States would respond decisively to any Russian use of nuclear weapons against Ukraine and has spelled out to Moscow the "catastrophic consequences" it would face, U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said on Sunday.
...
Sullivan's remarks represented the latest American warning following the thinly veiled nuclear threat made by Vladimir Putin last Wednesday in a speech in which the Russian president also announced his country's first wartime military mobilization since World War Two." (Reuters : 25 September 2022) (my emphasis)
 

Full Interview : Yahoo (Reuters) : 25 September 2022

At this critical stage in Putin's war with Ukraine, the stakes could not be higher. 

Like Hitler who, just before he committed suicide in his Berlin bunker, mobilized children to defend Berlin (left), Putin's mobilization decree has exposed how its shambolic implementation has led to, as Sophia Ankel (right) reports,

"Russia drafted an old man with diabetes, a 17-year-old, and people with no training to fight in Ukraine, reports say — a sign of desperation" (Business Insider : 23 September 2022) (my emphasis)

As also reported by Hyder Abbasi (left),

" ... Valentina Matviyenko  [chairwoman of the Duma]  (right) and Vyacheslav Volodin [speaker of the Duma] both took to the Telegram messaging app to address what they said were the many complaints from the public about the mistakes that were made when recruiting civilians into the military. " (NBC News : 25 September 2022) (my emphasis)

On a more sinister note, as reported by James Waterhouse, Paul Adams and Merlyn Thomas,

"Ukrainians have reported armed soldiers going door-to-door in occupied parts of the country to collect votes for self-styled "referendums" on joining Russia.
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"You have to answer verbally and the soldier marks the answer on the sheet and keeps it," one woman in Enerhodar told the BBC.
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In southern Kherson, Russian guardsmen stood with a ballot box in the middle of the city to collect people's votes." (BBC News : 24 September 2022) (my emphasis)

CNN : YouTube: 23 September 2022

And against this backdrop of Putin's "sham" and "dangerous" so-called elections in the territory that his soldiers occupy, Ron Popeski reports that,

"President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in an interview broadcast on Sunday that Ukraine had received sophisticated air defence systems from the United States.
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It was the first acknowledgment that Ukraine had received the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS), long sought by Kyiv and whose shipment was approved by Washington late last month." (MSN (Reuters) : 25 September 2022) (my emphasis)

Furthermore, as reported by George Parker,

"Liz Truss will tell world leaders this week that Britain will match or exceed the £2.3bn it committed to Ukraine’s war effort against Russia in 2022 next year (2023) on her first overseas trip as UK prime minister." (Financial Times : 20 September 2022) (my emphasis)

So in both financial and military-equipment assistance, Zelensky can rest assured that US President Biden and UK Prime Minister Truss will continue to support the people of Ukraine in defending themselves against Putin's war with Ukraine.

The same cannot, however, be said for Italy, where the recent elections have brought to power the Far Right "Brothers of Italy" headed by Mussolini admirer, Giorgia Meloni (left).

As reported by Matt Clinch,

"Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party was created in 2012, but has its roots in Italy’s 20th century neo-fascist movement that emerged after the death of fascist leader Benito Mussolini in 1945." (CNBC : 25 September 2022) (my emphasis)

Alessandra Migliaccio, Chiara Albanese and Flavia Rotondi also report that,

"Giorgia Meloni struck a conciliatory tone after her election win, pledging to govern for all Italians as she was poised to lead the country’s most right-wing government since World War II.

Meloni’s coalition, which includes Matteo Salvini’s League and Silvio Berlusconi’s Forza Italia parties, was credited with about 44% of votes in Sunday’s elections, according to preliminary results from the interior ministry." (Yahoo News : 26 September 2022) (my emphasis)

Critically, it should be noticed that whilst Giorgia Meloni supports Ukraine against Putin's war, the same cannot be said for her coalition partners of Berlusconi and Salvini.

Image left: Bosom pals Berlusconi and Putin when Berlusconi was Prime Minister of Italy 2008 – 2011 

And let us not forget, as reported by Hannah Roberts, that,

"Western sanctions against Russia are not working and actually harm Italy, according to Matteo Salvini (right), the leader of Italy's far-right League party, suggesting allied countries should reconsider their approach.
...
"Do we have to defend Ukraine? Yes," Salvini said. "But I would not want the sanctions to harm those who impose them more than those who are hit by them." (Politico : 4 September 2022) (my emphasis)

For Zelensky, with "friends" like these, who needs enemies.

The dire straits of the Italian economy may find the Italian government of  Giorgia Meloni shifting towards a neutral stance in Putin's war with Ukraine, causing serious fissures within the EU in its support for Ukraine.

(to be continued)