Putin's temporary euphoria belies his fear that time is not on his side.

From February 16-18, 2024, the 60th Munich Security Conference was the center of international diplomacy.

At the top of its agenda was the ongoing war in Ukraine that was set off by Putin in 2014, when Ukraine's Crimea was invaded, occupied, and annexed by Putin, and the Donbas was occupied by Putin's forces. Subsequently, on the 24 February 2022, Putin re-invaded Ukraine in an escalation of the war that started in 2014.

But this time, however, Putin's ongoing war with Ukraine is threatening to spill over into EU NATO countries that is causing alarm bells to be rung across the EU, especially in the Baltic countries of Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania  and, more significantly, in Poland.

In his recent interview withTucker Carlson, Putin blames Poland for starting WW2.

As Rachel Maddow quotes Putin from this interview,

"Putin : The Poles had not given the Danzig corridor to Germany, and went too far, pushing Hitler to start World War II by attacking them. Why was it Poland against whom the war started, on 1st September 1939? Poland turned out to be uncompromising , and Hitler had nothing to do but start implementing his plans with Poland"   (MSNBC : 13 February 2024) (my emphasis)  

MSNBC : 13 February 2024

Recall that in my blog entry of 4 May 2015 I wrote that,

"Is it any wonder that both Hilary Clinton and Prince Charles  likened Putin's actions in Ukraine to those of Hitler during the 1930's?

"Now if this sounds familiar, it's what Hitler did back in the '30s," Clinton said Tuesday, according to the Long Beach Press-Telegram.

"All the Germans that were ... the ethnic Germans, the Germans by ancestry who were in places like Czechoslovakia and Romania and other places, Hitler kept saying they're not being treated right. I must go and protect my people, and that's what's gotten everybody so nervous." (Hilary Clinton : The Washington Post : March 5, 2014) (my emphasis)" (Blog Entry : 4 May 2015)

And now, as Rachel Maddow further points out,

"Less than 48 hours after that interview posted online, former President Donald Trump, at a rally, said if he's president again, basically he would not honour that committment [of the US defending a NATO country if attacked, according to Article 5] .... if that country were attacked by Russia, "No, I would not protect you". (ibid Rachel Maddow in video above)

CNBC News : The National : 12 February 2024 : YouTube

Like Hitler in 1939, Putin's current threats against Poland are underscored by, as reported by  Miriam Kuepper (left),

"Vladimir Putin has snarled that the Ukraine war is a 'matter of life and death' for Russia that could determine its fate as his forces rain down death on cities in the east of the country.

The Kremlin has repeatedly framed the almost two-year conflict as a battle for Russia's survival in a bid to rally patriotic sentiment among its population, many apathetic toward the offensive." (Mail Online : 18 February 2024) (my emphasis)

Further undescoring Putin's current threats against Poland, his glove-puppet, Dmitry Medvedev, as reported by Alexander Khrebet (right),

"Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, on Feb. 18 threatened to use nuclear weapons against the U.S., the U.K., Germany, and Ukraine if Moscow loses all occupied Ukrainian territories.
...

"Attempts to restore Russia's 1991 borders will lead only to one thing - a global war with Western countries with the use of our entire strategic (nuclear) arsenal against Kyiv, Berlin, London, and Washington. And against all other beautiful historic places that have long been included in the flight targets of our nuclear triad," Medvedev said in a reference to the triad of intercontinental ballistic missiles, submarine-launched ballistic missiles, and strategic bombers with nuclear weapons." (Kyiv Independent on Yahoo News : 18 February 2024) (my emphasis) 

One should not underestimate these "nuclear armageddon" threats of Medvedev.

More so since Putin is trumpeting as a victory the withdrawal of Ukraine's forces from Avdiivka. 

And it is common knowledge that the withdrawal of Ukraine's forces from Avdiivka primarily stemmed from the slowing down of urgently needed weapons, and particularly ammunition,  from EU countries, and especially from the US, where Republicans are witholding Biden's financial and military support for Ukraine. 

As Karen Gilchrist (right) reports,

"The West is suffering a “colossal failure of imagination” in thinking Russia’s war in Ukraine will not hit them next, European policymakers have been told amid calls for a doubling down of transatlantic support for Kyiv.

 Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen (left) criticized a waning sense of urgency among delegates at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday as Moscow’s full-scale offensive nearly enters its third year.

“The sense of urgency is simply not clear enough in our discussions,” Frederiksen told a lunchtime session. “We have to speed up and we have to scale up.” (CNBC : 17 February 2024) (my emphasis)

CNN : Sebastian Shukla : Munich Security Conference: February2024

Putin and his 'siloviki' may have been emboldened by Ukraine's withdrawal from Avdiivka.

But, like his glove-puppet Dmitry Medvedev and his 'siloviki', this temporary euphoria of Putin belies a real fear that time is not on their side. 

UPDATE : 19 February 2024 

Charles Harrison (left) reports that,

"A NATO ally has provided a boost to Ukraine’s defence against Vladimir Putin’s invasion by donating its entire artillery to the war.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen announced that Denmark would transfer all of its artillery to Ukraine, calling on other European states to provide further support. “They need them more now”, she added.
...
Announcing the artillery donation, she said: “Ukraine is asking us for ammunition and artillery now. We, Denmark, have decided to transfer all our artillery to Ukraine. So, sorry, friends, there is military equipment in Europe, it is not only a matter of production.

“We have weapons, ammunition, air defence systems, which we do not use yet. They must be handed over to Ukraine.” (Express : 18 February 2024)

As Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen says,

“Ukraine is asking us for ammunition and artillery now. We, Denmark, have decided to transfer all our artillery to Ukraine. So, sorry, friends, there is military equipment in Europe, it is not only a matter of production." (ibid Charles Harrison)

 

(to be continued)