Putin is now dangerously tottering on the edge of the abyss into the unknown.

The ramping up of Putin's brutal onslaught against Ukraine through his continuous bombing of civilian targets in Ukraine has revealed a startling truth about some EU countries sitting on their hands in making good on their promises to supply Zelensky with much needed ammunition and air defence systems.

As reported by David Axe (left),

"Seven weeks after Czech defense policy chief Jan Jires announced his government had identified 800,000—later, a million—artillery shells that Ukraine’s allies could buy for Ukraine, Estonian defense minister Hanno Pevkur said his own government had found another million shells and rockets for Ukraine.
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With 2.5 million additional shells and rockets through the end of the year, the Ukrainians could match Russia’s own ammo supply, Pevkur claimed. It would be the first time in a year that the Ukrainians could fire as many shells and rockets as the Russians could fire." (Forbes : 7 April 2024) (my emphasis)

David Axe goes on to report that,

"Exactly where Estonia might source the shells and rockets, Pevkur wouldn’t specify. “Mainly from non-European countries,” he said, “but there are also some in Europe." (ibid David Axe)

And as Al Jazeera reported in mid March of this year,

"Ukraine is running out of ammunitionammunition and NATO members are not doing enough to help Kyiv, the alliance’s secretary-general, Jens Stoltenberg (right), has said, in unusually blunt comments about the state of the war.

“Unprecedented aid from NATO allies has helped Ukraine survive as an independent nation. But Ukraine needs even more support and they need it now,” Stoltenberg told reporters at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Thursday." (Al Jazeera : 14 March 2024) (my emphasis) 

Adding to the urgency of supplying Ukraine with ammunition and air defence equipment to counter Putin's bombs raining down on the people of Ukraine, Dmitry Medvedev, Putin's glove-puppet, is further making  some EU members 'cower' before Putin as he once again threatens 'nuclear armageddon',

As the Hindustan Times reports,

 "The Russian Security Council's deputy chairman, Dmitry Medvedev, issued a chilling threat to the US-led NATO bloc if they deploy troops in Ukraine. Medvedev said that the deployment of foreign forces in Ukraine would lead to a dangerous escalation. He said all NATO soldiers would be treated as enemies, and "We should take no prisoners! .." (Hindustan Times : 5 April 2024) (my emhasis)

(Hindustan Times : 5 April 2024 ; YouTube)

Underlining the 'fear of Putin', the Hindustan Times reports that,

"The New York Times reported that the U.S. and Germany will oppose the NATO membership of Ukraine during the bloc's summit in Washington in July. It added that the two nations fear that the U.S.-led bloc will be dragged into the 'biggest land war since 1945' with Russia if Ukraine joins NATO." (Hindustan Times : 6 April 2024) (my emphasis)

(Hindustan Times : 6 April 2024 : YouTube)

And as I reported in my blog entry (6 March 2024) about German Chancellor Scholtz's 'fear of Putin' in particular,

"Scholz's government has lately been resisting pressure to share one of its most powerful military assets with the Ukrainians just when they need it most.
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According to Benjamin Tallis, Senior Fellow at the German Council on Foreign Relations,"Following the Taurus leak, it seems that what Scholz is really afraid of is the weapon's effectiveness. This betrays his position of not wanting Ukraine to win – and it's an approach that lets down all Europeans by making us less safe." (Andrew Naughtie & Tamsin Paternoster Euronews : 6 March 2024) (my emphasis)

This fear  rings rather hollow, and has more to do with Willy Brandt's 'Ostpolitik' of the 1970's that mirrored,

"The Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact of 1939 [that] defied ideological differences and established trade and geopolitical agreements between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union." (Wikipedia)

And whilst some of Zelensky's erstwhile 'supporters' in the EU continue to withold funding the purchase of the necessary ammunition and air defence sytems to protect the people of Ukraine from Putin's accelerrated rain of bombs against them, Tommaso Lecca  reports that,

"There will be "significant consequences" for China if its companies "support Russia's war against Ukraine," U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warned Saturday.

Yellen's statement following talks in Guangzhou came after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday at NATO headquarters in Brussels that "China continues to provide materials to support Russia's defense industrial base." " (Politico : 6 April 2024) (my emphasis)

Bloomberg Television : 6 April 2024 : YouTube

 

But as David Morgan reports"Infighting among Republicans who control the U.S. House of Representatives, and a threat to oust Speaker Mike Johnson from his leadership role, have put him under pressure, to further delay action on a long-sought aid bill for Ukraine, Israel and other key allies. " (Reuters : 5 April 2024) (my emphasis) As John T Psaropoulos also reports,“If there is no US support, it means that we have no air defence, no Patriot missiles, no jammers for electronic warfare, no 155-millimetre artillery rounds,” he said. “It means we will go back, retreat, step by step, in small steps.”Some $60.1bn in United States military aid the administration of Joe Biden requested last December has been stalled by a small group of lawmakers loyal to former President Donald Trump, who hopes to return to power in the November election. [said Ukraine's President Zelensky]" (Al Jazeera : 4 Aptil 2024) (my emphasis)Putin and his 'inner-inner siloviki' (read Patruschev and Shoigu) know that Ukraine can fully scupper their current inch-by-inch military advancement PROVIDED critical ammunition and arms shipments to Ukraine does not falter.As NATO Chief Jens Stoltenberg urged in mid March of this year, "But Ukraine needs even more support and they need it now" (cf Al Jazeera 14 March 2024)Putin's desperation to bomb the people of Ukraine into total submision is a desperation brought about by his knowing that time is not on his side.Putin is now dangerously tottering on the edge of the abyss into the unknown.UPDATE : 8 March : 03.52 am Ian Aikman reports that,

"A new drone attack on Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia power plant has raised the risk of a "major nuclear accident", the UN's atomic watchdog has warned.
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Mr Grossi specified there had been "at least three direct hits" against the plant's "main reactor containment structures".

"This cannot happen," he said. "No one can conceivably benefit or get any military or political advantage from attacks against nuclear facilities. This is a no go."" (BBC News : 8 April 2024) (my emphasis)

The ink has hardly dried on this blog entry when Putin's irrational and dangerous behaviour is on full view for the whole world to see.UPDATE 2: 9 April 2024Tom Watling, Arpan Rai, and Barney Davis report that,

"The US warned against Russia’s “dangerous game” after the reactor building at the occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in eastern Ukraine was damaged in a “kamikaze” drone attack.
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 Mr Miller repeated America’s call on Russia to end the occupation of Europe’s largest nuclear facility which is facing heavy crossfiring amid the Russian invasion." (The Independent : 9 April 2024) (my emphasis)

They further report that,

"French foreign minister Stéphane Séjourné has said that it was no longer “in Paris’s interest” to hold discussions with the Russian government as Moscow manipulates the content and coverage of their bilateral talks.

This has now brought the “long tradition of cooperation with Russia in the fight against terrorism” to a grinding halt, the minister said." (ibid Tom Watling, Arpan Rai, and Barney Davis)

 

(to be continued)