Putin is now drinking at the last chance saloon

The critical situation facing Ukraine, brought about by its diminishing supplies of ammunition and air defences, lies firmly at the feet of certain EU members, but particularly Chancellor Scholtz and the German SPD party, together with the fascist German AFD party, refusing to give Ukraine the Taurus missile that would be a game changer against Putin's relentless onslaught against the people of Ukraine.

As Andrew Naughtie & Tamsin Paternoster (left) reported more than a month ago,

"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.
...
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." (Euronews : 6 March 2024) (my emphasis) 

What further betrays Scholz's position of not wanting Ukraine to win is the recent relocation of 5,000 German troops to Lithuania "amid mounting concerns about a potential attack from Moscow, whose Kaliningrad enclave borders Lithuania, along with its ally Belarus. (Euronews : 29 February 2024) (my emphasis)" (cf also: blog entry 6 March 2024)

Meanwhile, in the United States, the Republican Party, following the dogmatic decree of Donald Trump, continues to withold critical aid to Ukraine that will also serve as a game changer in Ukraine's defence against Putin's current frantic attemp to bomb Ukraine into total submission.

So much so that Putin's glove puppet, Dmitry Medvedev, also warns against the US supplying Ukraine with the necessary ammunition and military equipment that could halt Putin's near demented bombing campaign against the people of Ukraine.

As the Hindustan Times reports,

"Vladimir Putin's ally and ex-Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has lambasted Joe Biden. Medvedev warned the U.S. President of an apocalypse after his Ukraine remark. The claim that the conflict with Moscow could be ended with more American weapons is a call for slaughter, the former Russian president said. On April 10, Biden reiterated his call to the U.S. Congress to release $60 billion in aid for Ukraine. Biden said the Ukraine war could end if the house leader allows a vote." (Hindustan Times : 11 April 2024) (my emphasis)

Hindustan Times : 12 April 2024 : YouTube 

 As General Sir Richard Barrons (left) also points out,  

"Ukraine is not yet at that point [of conceding defeat].

But its forces are running critically low on ammunition, troops and air defences. Its much-heralded counter-offensive last year failed to dislodge the Russians from ground they had seized and now Moscow is gearing up for a summer offensive.

So what will that look like and what are its likely strategic objectives?

"The shape of the Russian offensive that's going to come is pretty clear," says Gen Barrons.

"We are seeing Russia batter away at the front line, employing a five-to-one advantage in artillery, ammunition, and a surplus of people reinforced by the use of newish weapons." (Frank Gardner : BBC News : 13 April 2024) (my emphasis)

Emboldened by his current onslaught against the people of Ukraine, Putin now views any international attempt to convene a peace conference to try and end his war with Ukraine with utter contempt.

As reported by the Associated Press (AP),

"Russia’s President Vladimir Putin on Thursday mocked a scheduled round of Ukraine peace talks in Switzerland, warning that Moscow will not accept any enforced plans that ignore its interests." (Associated Press (AP): 12 April 2024) (my emphasis)

The AP goes on to report,

"Russia has dismissed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s peace formula requiring Moscow to pull back its troops, pay compensation to Ukraine and face an international tribunal for its action.

Speaking during Thursday’s meeting with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in Moscow, Putin said that Russia is open for negotiations, but will never accept “any schemes that have nothing to do with reality.”" (ibid Associated Press (AP))

(Associated Press (AP): 12 April 2024)

Sam Ormiston also reports that,

"Vladimir Putin has claimed that Russia is open to peace talks, but only if they are held on Moscow's terms.
...
"He also denied that Russia was responsible for attacks on energy infrastructure in Ukraine, despite evidence to the contrary." " (13 April 2024) (my emphasis)

Indeed, Putin's current 'emboldment' is leading him to come perilously close to precipitating a confrontation with NATO.

As reported by Katie Boyden (left),

"NATO jets have been scrambled this morning over Russia’s latest missile and drone attack on Ukraine.

The NATO planes were scrambled to defend Poland’s airspace as Russia used long-range rocket strikes to attack Ukraine in a five-hour bombardment.

Late last month the Polish prime minister warned ‘we are in a pre-war era’ as Vladimir Putin’s missiles struck close to its border." (Metro : 11 April 2024) (my emphasis)

Katie Boyden goes on to further report that,

"[Putin's] latest attack [against Ukraine] comes amid concerns that Putin could be planning for a war with NATO ‘sooner than expected’ – before mocking the military alliance." (ibid Katie Boyden)

 It is this potential showdown between Putin and NATO that is, as Ian Casey and Jonathan Beale report,

"A UK high-power laser weapon could be sent to Ukraine to take down Russian drones, the defence secretary says.
...
The greatest advantage of lasers is cost and, in theory, an "unlimited magazine" of ammunition - as long as there is a reliable source of power. But the big drawback is that they can only fire at targets in the line of sight, unlike most missiles.
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The MoD says firing the DragonFire system for 10 seconds is the cost equivalent of using a regular heater for an hour, with the operating expense typically less than £10 a shot." (BBC News : 12 April 2024) (my emphasis)

 Putin may be 'emboldened' to threaten NATO, but he is not 'emoldened' enough to actually cross NATO'S Article 5 red line viz. 

"The principle aims to deter potential adversaries from attacking NATO members. Article 5 guarantees that the resources of the whole alliance can be used to protect any single member nation. This is crucial for many of the smaller countries who would be defenseless without their allies." (CNN :  Paul LeBlanc : 7 March 2024) 

Putin's current indiscriminate and heavy bombardment against the people of Ukraine yet again indicates that he is 'Drinking at the last chance saloon'. 

 

Times Radio : 22 March 2024 : YouTube 

 

(to be continued)