Putin's fate now hangs in the balance.

 Radina Gigova, Anna Chernova, Sophie Tanno and Nimi Princewill reported that (left:  Radina Gigova and Nimi Princewill),

"A summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and African leaders began in St. Petersburg on Thursday, with a far lower turnout than previous years.

CNN : 27 July 2023

Putin has been seeking to strengthen ties with African countries and offered to send free grain to the continent, something the UN warned would not make up for Russia pulling out of a crucial grain deal. Russia has also been targeting Ukrainian ports.

Just 17 heads of African states are attending this year, the Kremlin has confirmed, less than half of the 43 heads of state that attended the 2019 conference." (CNN : 27 July 2023) (my emphasis)

And as reported by Robyn Dixon,

 "In his address at the summit in St. Petersburg, Assoumani (left), the president of Comoros, an island nation off the coast of East Africa, said that opening export access to both Ukrainian and Russian grain would save African lives.
...

Assoumani [who spoke directly after Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed the summit] pushed back against the Russian leader’s claim that Russia would provide enough grain to Africa without the need for Ukrainian supplies.

Although Russia was “cooperating” to resolve the crisis, “our continent is currently being severely impacted by food prices. So we are appealing to all participants in the process with a big request to facilitate access to both Ukrainian and Russian food,” he said in comments translated from French into Russian." (Washington Post : 27 July 2023) (my emphasis)

President Assoumani's push-back against Putin must have rather stuck in Putin's craw.

As reported by Debora Patta,

"Putin has miscalculated the mood on this continent," South African professor William Gumede (right), of Wits University's School of Governance, told CBS News.
...
Russia's decision last week to pull out of an agreement with Ukraine to enable the export of grain — and to then bomb Ukrainian ports, destroying thousands of tons of food — enraged countries like Kenya, which lambasted the decision in no uncertain terms as a "stab in the back." (CBS News:  28 July 2023) (my emphasis)

CBS News:  28 July 2023

Debora Patta further reports that,

"The poor attendance from African heads of state at the summit will be a bitter blow for Putin, who is discovering that far from lining up behind him, some African nations are questioning whether Russia is the heavyweight economic partner it claims to be." (ibid Debora Patta) (cf also: Tara Fair : Express : 28 July 2023)

 And against the backdrop of Putin's failed African Summit in St. Petersburg, Max Channon (left) reports that,

"Ukraine has reportedly broken through Russian defences as its counter-offensive against Vladimir Putin's invading forces seemingly gathers momentum.
...
US-based think-tank the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said it was likely that Kyiv had “managed to penetrate and drive through tactically challenging defensive positions”. It comes after Pentagon officials said that Ukrainian forces had managed to secure a pathway through the heavy minefields in Zaporizhzhia, and were piling into attack through the channel." (Express : 28 July 2023) (my emphasis)

The Telegraph : 28 July 2023 : YouTube

As also reported by Rozina Sabur (left),

"Ukraine launched the main thrust of its counter-offensive on Wednesday with thousands of men and Western armoured vehicles pouring onto the frontlines in Zaporizhzhia.
...
“The Russians are stretched,” an official told the New York Times. “They are still experiencing problems with logistics, supply, personnel and weapons. They’re feeling the pressure.” (Telegraph : 26 July 2023) (my emphasis) (cf. also : Jack Detsch : Foreign Policy : 27 July 2023)

In his panic Putin is, as reported by Tom Watling,

"Russian soldiers may be exempt from criminal prosecution if they take part in the “special military operation” in Ukraine, the country’s Supreme Court has decreed.
...
It is the latest in a series of moves by the Russian authorities to encourage participation in the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
...
While the Kremlin has a history of employing convicts to fight in Ukraine - its now-public affiliation with the Wagner Group, who routinely hired from Russian penal colonies, aside - this new law further opens up the recruiting pool for Vladimir Putin’s “special military operation”. (Express : 26 July 2023) (my emphasis)

Added to which, Olena Harmash reports that,

"Qatar will provide Ukraine with $100 million in humanitarian aid to support health, education and demining, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on Friday.
...
He made the announcement after talks with visiting Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman al-Thani (right with Ukraine Prime Minister), who also discussed global food security and the expired Black Sea grain deal with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

"This money will be channelled for reconstruction in the health and education sectors, humanitarian de-mining, and other important social and humanitarian projects," Shmyhal told a briefing." (Reuters : 28 July 2023) (my emphasis)

Putin must now be pacing more furiously around his bunker.

In desperation he has dispatched his Chief General, Sergei Shoigu, to North Korea, to drum up further support for weaponry from Kim Jon Un.

As reported by Kim Tong-Hyung,

"North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was joined by senior Russian and Chinese delegates as he displayed his most powerful nuclear-capable missiles in a military parade marking a major war anniversary with a show of defiance against the United States and deepening ties with Moscow as tensions on the peninsula are at their highest point in years." (Associated Press (AP) : 28 July 2023) (my emphasis)

NBC News : 28 July 2023 : YouTube

In light of his imminent failure in Ukraine, Putin is now scraping the barrel of international 'nuclear' support that he believes serves as a  renewed threat to use nuclear weapons against Ukraine.

Putin's fate now hangs in the balance.

UPDATE 1 : 30 July 2023

 Marita Moloney (left) reports that,

"Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he does not reject the idea of peace talks on Ukraine.

Speaking after meeting African leaders in St Petersburg, he said African and Chinese initiatives could serve as a basis for finding peace.

But Mr Putin also said there could be no ceasefire while the Ukrainian army was on the offensive." (BBC News : 30 July 2023) (my emphasis) 

We note that Putin simply does not reject the idea of 'peace talks'.

What he is categoric about is that,

".... Moscow [read: Putin] says Kyiv must accept its country's "new territorial reality". (ibid Marita Moloney)

In other words, Putin is actually saying that Ukraine's territory that he invaded and now occupies should NOT be returned to Ukraine.

Which rather underscores the fact that Putin is not interested in 'peace' talks but rather in forcing Zelensky to concede Ukraine's territory that Putin's forces now occupy to Russia.

The sheer absurdity of Putin's 'peace' demands simply beggars belief and, more than anything else, is yet another indicator of his realization that Ukraine is now poised to push his army back beyond the legal 1991 borders of Ukraine.   

 Newsweek : Wion : 30 July 2023

 

(to be continued)

Putin resorting to starving the most vulnerable in the world to cling to power.

Putin has finally jumped into the abyss of drawing NATO forces into his war with Ukraine.

 As reported by Clare Sebastian, Tim Lister, Vasco Cotovio and Andrew Carey,

"Romanian President Klaus Iohannis (left) has criticized Moscow's strikes on Ukraine’s river port infrastructure, calling them an “escalation" in the war.

“I strongly condemn the recent Russian attacks against the Ukrainian civilian infrastructure on Danube, very close to Romania [200m across the Danube River],” Iohannis tweeted on Monday.

Romania, a NATO country, shares a border with Ukraine along the Danube River. The Danube, near the area that was struck overnight, is less that one kilometer wide.

“This recent escalation pose[s] serious risks to the security in the Black Sea,” he added. “It also affects further [Ukrainian] grain transit [and] thus the global food security.” (CNN : 24 July 2023) (my emphasis)

Al Jazeera : 25 July 2023 : YouTube

As also reported by Jonathan Saul,

"Almost 30 ships dropped anchor near Ukraine's crucial Izmail port terminal after Russia destroyed grain warehouses on the Danube river on Monday, data showed, although it was unclear exactly what had caused them to stop.
...
Monday's pre-dawn Russian air strikes wounded seven people and hit infrastructure along the Danube, a vital alternative route for Ukrainian grain since the demise last week of a year-old deal allowing safe exports via the Black Sea. Kyiv said the attack was an expansion of an air campaign Russia launched last week after pulling out of the grain deal." (Reuters : 24 July 2023) (my emphasis)

International political repercussions against Putin's weaponizing food in his war with Ukraine has been swift.

 As reported by Frances D'Emilio (left),

"The U.N. chief on Monday urged Russia to resume the internationally brokered deal so that grain can be shipped from Ukraine’s Black Sea ports, saying that otherwise, the world's most vulnerable among the hungry will suffer the worst consequences. 

 U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (right) made the appeal during a speech in Rome at the opening of a three-day food summit.

With the recent collapse of the Ukraine-Russia grain deal, "the most vulnerable will pay the highest price,'' Guterres said. He lamented that there are already negative effects on global wheat and corn prices."  (ABC News (article from: The Associated Press) : 24 July 2023) (my emphasis)

Frances D'Emilio further reports that,

"The deal's suspension as well as Russian attacks on the Black Sea ports of Ukraine have irked Russian ally China and as well as developing nations heavily dependent on the shipments to feed their people" (ibid Frances D'Emilio)

 Lawrence Freedman (left) writes that,

"Russian President Vladimir Putin set as his objectives the “denazification” and “demilitarization” of Ukraine. By the first, he presumably meant regime change, in which case the war has clearly been a failure. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s position is as strong as ever. As for demilitarization, Ukraine is on its way to becoming the most militarized country in Europe.
...
Russian forces have failed to take complete control of any of the four oblasts, or administrative regions—Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia—that Putin claimed for Russia in September 2022. Much of the ground initially seized after the full-scale invasion has been relinquished, and more is being lost, albeit slowly, during the current Ukrainian offensive. (Foreign Affairs : 25 July 2023) (my emphasis) 

As also reported by Marita Vlachou,

"U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Ukrainians have “already taken back about 50%” of the territory Russia seized since the invasion as the embattled country continues its counteroffensive.

Asked to weigh into reports that Ukraine was facing a tough time in its stepped-up fight to oust Russian invaders, Blinken told CNN’s Fareed Zakaria that the Kremlin has failed in its goal." (Yahoo News (CNN report): 24 July 2023) (my emphasis)

US Secretary of State Blinken : CNN : 24 July 2023 : YouTube

 Lawrence Freedman is correct in stating that,

"Putin can simply try to hang on but given the mounting pressures [both inside Russia and internationally] he needs a strategy to show that Russia still has a path to victory.  What Putin does should in turn shape Ukrainian actions. Kyiv can add to the anxieties in Moscow, demonstrating that no part of Russia is secure, punishing Russian forces at the front, and opportunistically liberating territory even if it is not quite what military planners intended. This has become a war of endurance. (ibid Lawrence Freedman) 

As reported by Andrew Osborn (left),

"Russia spoke of taking harsh retaliatory measures against Ukraine after two drones damaged buildings in Moscow early on Monday, including one close to the Defence Ministry's headquarters, in what it called a brazen act of terror.
...
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told the RTVI TV channel Ukraine was guilty of what she called "an act of international terrorism".
...
Attention is now likely to turn to where the drones were launched from and whether pro-Ukrainian saboteurs inside Russia had a role. After May's drone attack on the Kremlin, U.S. drone experts concluded they might have been launched from inside Russia." (Reuters : 25 July 2023) (my emphasis)

BBC News : 24 July 2023: YouTube

These drone attacks on Moscow has accelerated Putin's anxieties.

 And as UN Secretary General Guterres has recently stated,  

"With the recent collapse of the Ukraine-Russia grain deal, "the most vulnerable will pay the highest price,'' Guterres said. He lamented that there are already negative effects on global wheat and corn prices." (ibid Frances D'Emilio)

Putin is now resorting to starving the most vulnerable to cling to power.

 

(to be continued)

 

How much longer will Putin now survive?

 John Sparks (left) of Sky News has just reported that,

"According to social media there were two explosions on the Kerch Bridge at 03.04 this morning. We understand that traffic has been stopped. Traffic is blocked up on both sides of the bridge." (Sky News : 17 July 2023) (my emphasis)

Sky News : 17 July 2023 

As also reported by Mattha Busby and Helen Livingstone,

“This morning we all started with information about the emergency that happened on the Crimean bridge. We all saw a video on the internet of a damaged car with Belgorod number plates,” Vyacheslav Gladkov [Crimea’s Russian governor] wrote." (The Guardian : 17 July 2023) (my emphasis)

 The Guardian : 17 July 2023

This critical event on Putin's bridge follows closely on the heels of Ukraine's President, Volodymyr Zelensky, receiving assurances from US President Biden after the recent NATO summit in Vilnius that,

"President Joe Biden pledged Wednesday that western allies “will not waver” in defense of Ukraine, casting the struggle against Russian aggression as one of the world’s central challenges requiring a broad coalition of countries to stand in defense of freedom.

“Our unity will not falter,” Biden declared. “I promise you.” (Chris Megerian and Seung Min Kim  (above): Associated Press : 12 July 2023) (my emphasis)

Associated Press : 12 July 2023

All of this happened against the backdrop of Putin and his Kremlin 'siloviki' practically at each other's throats.

As reported by Aljazeera,

"Moscow’s military leadership has reportedly dismissed Major-General Ivan Popov (left), commander-in-chief of Russia’s 58th Combined Arms Army stationed in southern Ukraine, over his concerns for troops fighting without rest and criticism of Russian battlefield strategy." (Aljazeera : 13 July 2023) (my emphasis)

Not content with only 'purging' Major-General Ivan Popov, Will Stewart And Shari Miller also report that,

"Yet another high-profile general was purged in Russia today as Vladimir Putin's defence minister continues to root out anyone viewed as having betrayed the Kremlin.

Paratrooper commander Major-General Vladimir Seliverstov (right), 49, is the eighth member of the country's top brass to be fired, suspended, detained or vanished in recent months.

Defence minister Sergei Shoigu is alleged to be conducting 'combat operations' against his own staff as key war generals are axed or sidelined." (Mail Online : 15 July 2023) (my emphasis)

Erin Burnett : CNN : 13 July 2023

And on the economic front, Ajay Banga (left) reports that,

"Redoubling support for war-stricken Ukraine is the "single best" way to aid the global economy, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Sunday, along with boosting emerging economies and tackling debt distress.
...
"Ending this war is first and foremost a moral imperative," she told reporters in Gandhinagar, which is hosting a wider G20 summit. "But it's also the single best thing we can do for the global economy." (Yahoo News: 16 July 2023) (my emphasis) 

AFP video : Yahoo News: 16 July 2023

And as if to underline Janet Yellen's call that, "support for war-stricken Ukraine is the "single best" way to aid the global economy", Xu Keyue reports that,

"Contrary to usual practice, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol made a high-profile pledge on Saturday to "expand the scale" of his country's military assistance to Ukraine during his sudden visit to Ukraine, an indication that he has decided to side with the US-led NATO amid the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Chinese observers said.
...
During the visit to Kiev for a meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Yoon said in a press conference that South Korea plans to provide "a larger scale of military supplies" to Ukraine this year, following last year's provision of non-lethal supplies such as body armor and helmets. He did not give more details, Reuters reported on Saturday. (Global Times : 16 July 2023) (my emphasis)

BBC News : 16 July 2023 : YouTube

For Putin it must feel as though the whole world is now conspiring against him.

Even his generals can no longer be trusted to cover his back for him.

How much longer will he now survive?

UPDATE 1: 18 July 2023

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen's statement that, "Ending this war is first and foremost a moral imperative" (ibid Ajay Banga), is brought into sharp relief by the report of Philip Pullella and Costas Pitas that, 

"Italian Cardinal Matteo Zuppi (left), assigned by Pope Francis to help bring peace to Ukraine, will discuss repatriating children who Kyiv and others say have been deported by Russia with U.S. President Joe Biden in Washington as part of a three-day visit.

Zuppi will meet Biden on Tuesday at the White House where they will discuss the suffering caused by the war, humanitarian aid and "the Papal See’s focus on repatriating Ukrainian children forcibly deported by Russian officials," the White House said." (Reuters : 17 July 2023) (my emphasis)

UPDATE 2 : 18 July 2023

Yellen's "moral imperative" that Putin should end his war with Ukraine is further underlined by the report of Stephen Collinson (right) that,

"Russian President Vladimir Putin just reminded the world that he has the capacity to apply pain far beyond the excruciating torment he’s inflicting on Ukraine.

Russia’s suspension of a deal allowing the export of Ukrainian grain from a region fabled as the world’s bread basket threatens to cause severe food shortages in Africa and send prices spiraling in supermarkets in the developed world.
...
Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned that Russia was trying to use food as a tool in its war on Ukraine, adding that the tactic would make “food harder to come by in places that desperately need it and have prices rise … The bottom line is, it’s unconscionable. It should not happen.” (CNN : 18 July 2023) (my emphasis)

UPDATE 3 : 20 July 2023

It was inevitable that Putin would attack Odesa, the main grain exporting port in Ukraine.

 And true to form, as reported by Hanna Arhirova (left),

"Russia unleashed intense drone and missile attacks overnight Wednesday, damaging critical port infrastructure in southern Ukraine, including grain and oil terminals, and wounding at least 12 people, officials said.

The bombardment crippled significant parts of export facilities in Odesa and nearby Chornomorsk and destroyed 60,000 tons of grain, according to Ukraine's Agriculture Ministry." (ABC Eyewitness News :19 July 2023) (my emphasis) 

As also reported by Zachary B. Wolf,

"Russian President Vladimir Putin appears to have declared open season on Ukraine’s consequential grain exports, targeting the port city of Odesa with new ferocity and jeopardizing worldwide food prices.

With the strikes on Odesa, Putin says he wants payback for damage to a nearly 12-mile bridge that connects annexed Crimea to the Russian mainland."  (CNN : 19 July 2023) (my emphasis)

Zachary B. Wolf : CNN : 19 July 2023

Zachary B. Wolf : CNN : 19 July 2023 

How, now, will the world respond to Putin, "[playing] roulette with the hungriest people in the world at the time of the greatest food crisis (USAid's Samantha Power : CNN : 20 July 2023)"?

 

(to be continued)

Putin's 'dream' of recreating the old USSR is ending.

In March of 2018, Andrew Osborn (left) reported that,

"Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday he would reverse the collapse of the Soviet Union if he had a chance to alter modern Russian history, news agencies reported." (Reuters : 2 March 2018) (my emphasis) (cf. also: NBC News (Associated Press article) : 25 April 2015) 

TRW World : 2022 : YouTube

Andrew Osborn went on to further report that,

"Fielding quick-fire questions from supporters in Russia’s European exclave of Kaliningrad, Putin was asked what Russian historical event he would like to change.

“The collapse of the Soviet Union,” Putin immediately shot back.

Putin, who served in the KGB in the Soviet era, called the 1991 Soviet fall the “greatest geopolitical catastrophe” of the twentieth century in a 2005 speech and has used the Soviet Union’s World War Two defeat of Nazi Germany to stir patriotism and help create a new sense of Russian identity." (ibid Andrew Osborn)

Fast forward to 2023, and Putin's 'dream' of reversing the collapse of the Soviet Union has now become his nightmare.

As I wrote in a previous blog entry (28 June 2023),

" Richard Ashmore also writes that,

"Vladimir Putin is “bitter and “disenchanted” like “Hitler and Saddam Hussein” in the final moments of their rule and could be on the brink of losing power, a defence expert claims. Echoing some of the worst dictators in history, the Russian despot will be “fuming” after the recent rebellion by Wagner mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin exposed his shaky grasp on rule." (Express : 27 June 2023) (my emphasis) "

We now learn that, as reported by  Henri Astier,

"Russian President Vladimir Putin met mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin after the failed Wagner group mutiny last month, the Kremlin says." (BBC News : 11 July 2023) (my emphasis)

Having publicly "fumed" about Yevgeny Prigozhin's rebellion, and then to publicly hold a meeting with the 'traitor' Yevgeny Prigozhin, must have stuck in Putin's craw!

Forbes Breaking News : 11 July 2023 : YouTube

Adding fuel to Putin's current nightmare about his failure to "reverse the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991", we now learn from Simon J Smith and Jordan Becker (left) that,

"In a surprise move, Turkey has ended its veto on Sweden joining Nato, thereby removing all the barriers to its membership of the military alliance.

Hungary quickly followed suit and, as a result of the two countries’ support, a consensus was able to be reached at the 2023 Nato summit in Vilnius, Lithuania. Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan agreeing to support Sweden’s bid to join will be touted as one of the key achievements of the summit." (The Conversation : 11 July 2023) (my emphasis)

Andrea Mitchell and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg: MSNBC  11 July 2023

And if Sweden now joining NATO was not enough to further dissolve Putin's 'dream' about re-creating the 'old' USSR, James Landale & Oliver Slow report that,

"G7 members are expected to ratify a wide-ranging security pact with Ukraine at the Nato summit on Wednesday.
...
US President Joe Biden earlier suggested a model for Ukraine similar to his country's agreement with Israel. Under that deal, Washington has committed to providing $3.8bn (£2.9bn) in military aid per year over a decade.
...
Diplomats also highlighted the creation of a new Nato-Ukraine Council, meeting on Wednesday for the first time, which will give Kyiv the right to summon meetings of the whole alliance. (BBC News : 12 July 2023) (my emphasis)

Hindustan Times : 8 July 2023 : YouTube

Furthermore, and rather unexpectedly, Adam Chapman (left) reports that,

"President Joe Biden has been shown up by his French counterpart as Emmanuel Macron officially gives the go-ahead to ship long-range missiles to Ukraine.

Despite pumping more than £30 billion into the war effort, the White House has so far refused to send Ukraine its Army Tactical Missile Systems over fears it will spark World War 3.
...
Macron said Paris would provide the SCALP surface-to-air missile system to strike targets further inside Russian-occupied territory." (Express : 11 July 2023) (my emphasis)

Express : 11 July 2023

Politically and militarily, Putin now has no chance of fulfilling his dream of recreating the old USSR. 

 

(to be continued)

Has Putin inadvertently lit the fuse for civil war in Russia?

The fallout of the attempted 'coup' by Victor Prigozhin continues to cause dis-array amongst Putin's generals and his 'siloviki'.

As reported by Tim McNulty (left),

"Vladimir Putin's blundering efforts in Ukraine have forced the Kremlin to pull a large number of Russian troops away from other deployments with huge geo-strategic importance to Russia." (Express : 6 July 2023) (my emphasis)

McNulty goes on to report that,

"The UK Ministry of Defence has reported that Russia is moving units to the front-line in Ukraine from bases 7000km away where they serve as a strategic counterbalance to Chinese power." (ibid Tim McNulty) 

MSNBC : 8 July 2023

As also reported by Liam Doyle,

"Vladimir Putin's Russian government is on the brink, secret internal Russian analysis has suggested.

Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR), headed by spymaster Major-General Kyrylo  Budanov (left), has access a Russian study conducted by the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD).
...
The report, Mr Budanov said, has suggested the country is primed for a civil war which could tear the country apart." (Express : 5 July 2023) (my emphasis)

More sinister, as reported by Yousra Elbagir (right : Sky News reporter),

"Senior sources from [the Central African Republic's] ministry of defence and an official from the Russian embassy have revealed around 400 Wagner employees left the capital on two planes on Wednesday, confirming local reports of Wagner disengagement.
...
One ministry of defence official said the Wagner Group personnel who left refused to sign new contracts with Russia's ministry of defence." (Microsoft Start (Sky News report) : 7 July 2023) (my emphasis)

Wagner Troops in Central African Republic: 9 June 2023: YouTube 

Meanwhile, as reported by Anastasia Stognei (left),

"The rouble sank to its lowest level against the dollar since the aftermath of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Thursday, as the repercussions of Wagner’s aborted insurrection heap further pressure on a currency already groaning under the weight of western sanctions." (Financial Times : 6 July 2023) (my emphasis)

 She goes on to further report that,

"[Natalia Lavrova, chief economist at BCS Global Markets] said that on the day of the mutiny, Russians withdrew some Rbs100bn, an amount of withdrawals comparable to when the Kremlin announced a mass mobilisation in September." (ibid Anastasia Stognei) 

Further causing Putin to furiously pace around in his bunker, Lorne Cook reports that,

" NATO leaders will agree next week to help modernize Ukraine’s armed forces, create a new high-level forum for consultations and reaffirm that it will join their alliance one day, the organization’s top civilian official said Friday. But the war-torn country will not start membership talks soon.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg (right) said that when U.S. President Joe Biden and his counterparts meet for a two-day summit in Lithuania’s capital, Vilnius, they also will agree to boost defense spending as alliance members pour weapons, ammunition and other support like uniforms and medical equipment into Ukraine." (Associated Press : 7 July 2023) (my emphasis) 

If Putin is furiously pacing around in his bunker because NATO alliance members continue to supply Ukraine with weapons and ammunition, then he must be apoplectic with rage on learning that,

"Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed support early Saturday for Ukraine joining NATO, saying the war-torn country deserves to join the alliance.

Erdogan made the comment at a joint news conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who arrived in Turkey as part of a European tour to rally support for Ukraine's entry into the military alliance after the war with Russia comes to an end." (CTV News (Associated Press article) : 8 July 2023) (my emphasis) 

Not only are the walls of his bunker closing in on Putin, the nightmare of Prigozhin's troops currently in Africa now heading to join Prigozhin in Belarus, or even in Russia, must be causing him to face his imminent demise.

MSNBC : 7 July 2023

Has Putin inadvertently lit the fuse for civil war in Russia?

 

(to be continued)