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)