Ukraine Crisis and Putin: Putin's [Pu-trushev's] support from Victor Orban and US Republican Senators are worthless

Having gleefully rejoiced at the political impasse in the US Senate regarding the latests tranche of US aid to Ukraine, Putin [Pu-truschev] now finds himself deflated by the fact that his 'EU comrade-in-arms', Victor Orban, has failed in his attempt to stymie Ukraine's accession to the EU.

CBS News : 18 December 2023 : YouTube

As resported by Barbara Moens, Jacopo Barigazzi and Aitor Hernández-Morales,

"EU leaders on Thursday agreed to open accession talks with Kyiv, taking a definitive step toward Ukraine’s integration into the European project by bypassing Moscow’s closest ally in the bloc: the Hungarian prime minister.
.....
EU leaders thwarted weeks of vehement threats from Orbán to veto all Ukraine-related decisions within the European Council on the summit’s first day. However in a surprising, pre-agreed move, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz suggested Orbán leave the meeting room so leaders could, technically, make a unanimous decision in his absence." (Politico : 15 December 2023) (my emphasi)

Not however to be outdone, Orban took a leaf out of the political playbook of Senate Republicans in the US.

As reported by Jaroslav Lukiv & Jessica Parker,

"Hungary has blocked €50bn ($55bn; £43bn) in EU aid for Ukraine - just hours after an agreement was reached on starting membership talks.

"Summary of the nightshift: veto for the extra money to Ukraine," Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said after Thursday's talks in Brussels. (BBC News : 16 December 2023) (my emphasis)

Bloomberg Television : 15 December 2023 : YouTube

Jaroslav Lukiv & Jessica Parker go on to report that,

"EU leaders said Ukraine would not be left without support.

Ukraine is critically dependent on EU and US funding as it continues to fight occupying Russian forces. (ibid Jaroslav Lukiv & Jessica Parker)

And in repsonse to Ukraine's financial needs, the Council of the EU report that,

Added to which, Joe Barnes (left) reports that,

"Britain will use its naval expertise to help Ukraine control the Black Sea as part of a 10-year security pact to be signed in the coming weeks.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) will pledge to “keep Kyiv in the fight” against Russia by providing military support focused on naval assets, as well as financial aid and intelligence sharing." (The Telegraph : 18 December 2023) (my emphasis)

Further accellerating Putin's [Pu-trushev's] deflation from his previous euphoria over the stalling actions of Repblican Senators in the US and Victor Orban against US and EU support for Ukraine, his critics in Russia are becoming more strident in their criticism of his war with Ukraine.

As reported by Will Stewart (right),

"Vladimir Putin has been told to 'go to the frontline yourself - and die' by the wives and girlfriends of mobilised Russian soldiers.

They demand that he ends the slaughter in Ukraine amid an upsurge in protest in his country against the war he triggered almost two years ago.
....
[The Way Home] women's protest channel asked: 'What the hell are denazification and demilitarisation?'

'Do you yourself understand what you are talking about?

'Every time you say these words, people die.

'Let us live in peace!

'Or go to the front yourself - and die.'" (Daily Mail : 19 December 2023) (my emphasis)

Daily Mail : 19 December 2023

As also reported by Gregorio Sorgi, Barbara Moens and Jacopo Barigazzi report that,

"EU leaders are promising Ukraine will still get its €50 billion aid package to help prop up its war-shattered economy against Russian invasion — with or without the backing of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
...
“It’s possible for the 26 member states to provide the money on a bilateral basis,” Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar told reporters after the European Council in the Belgian capital. “A bit of time and space over the Christmas period might help.” (Politico : 15 December 2023) (my emphasis)

Furthermore, as reported by the Council of the EU,

"The Council adopted today a twelfth package of economic and individual restrictive measures in view of the continued Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. These measures deliver a further blow to Putin's ability to wage war by targeting high-value sectors of the Russian economy and making it more difficult to circumvent EU sanctions.
...

With this 12th package, we are putting forward a robust set of new listings and economic measures which will further weaken Russia’s war machine. Our message is clear, as I already stated when I chaired the informal Foreign Affairs Council in Kyiv: we remain steadfast in our commitment to Ukraine and will continue to support its fight for freedom and sovereignty. (Josep Borrell (left), High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy) " Council of the EU : 18 December 2023) (my emhasis)

And Putin's [Pu-truschev's] response to these developments?

As reported by Yulia Kesaieva, Darya Tarasova, Benjamin Brown and Amarachi Orie,

"Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned there will be “problems” with neighboring Finland after it joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) earlier this year.
.....
It was also a blow for President Putin, who has long warned against NATO expansion.
.....
“There were no problems, but now there will be, because we will now create the Leningrad military district there and definitely concentrate military units there,” Putin added in the interview by Russian state broadcaster Russia 1." (CNN : 17 December 2023) (my emphasis)

Arirang News : 18 December 2023 : YouTube

This 'temper tantrum'of Putin [Pu-truschev] yet again poses the question :-

"Who is now in charge of Russia???

As reported by Iona Cleave (right),

"The independent Russian media outlet, Proekt, led an investigation into 71-year-old Putin's past year of so-called "public" meetings.

Analysing 521 meetings and speaking to Kremlin journalists, they alleged that Putin hides from visitors and has switched over a fifth of meetings to video to hide his sickness and use of body doubles.

During 43 per cent of his meetings (224 of them), Proekt claims that the president "one way or another keeps his distance", suggesting he could be hiding his use of doppelgangers.

Over 113 of his meetings were conducted over video, including almost all with his Security Council as they made major decisions over his bloody war in Ukraine without him physically present." (The Sun : 8 December 2023) (my emhasis)

As I wrote in my last blog entry,

"In 1964, in the lead up to the British election, the late Harold Wilson (left) is supposed to have coined the famous phrase, ‘A week is a long time in politics.’