The 'peace flag' is no longer being simply gingerly held in Putin's hand.

On September 5th, Tara Copp (left) informed us that,

"Top U.S. military leaders will be in Germany to discuss Ukraine’s wartime needs as Russia has conducted one of its deadliest airstrikes in the conflict and Ukraine presses its offensive in Russia’s Kursk region."
...
The group’s priorities include bolstering Ukraine’s air defenses and “energizing of the defense industrial bases” of allies to ensure long-term support for Kyiv,
Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon’s press secretary, said in a statement Thursday." (AP: 5 September 2024) (my emphasis)

She goes on to report that,

"That the group of military leaders from Ukraine’s allies [right: incl. US Gen. CQ Brown Jr] has continued to meet and agree to send weapons is extraordinary, however. " (ibid Tara Copp)

Following on from this meeting, Ludwig Burger and Andreas Rinke report that,

"German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called for a renewed effort to bring peace to Ukraine, adding that he and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy had both agreed in recent talks on the need for a new peace conference that would include Russia.
"I believe that now is the time to discuss how to arrive at peace from this state of war, indeed at a faster pace," Scholz told broadcaster ZDF in a televised interview." (Reuters: 8 September 2024) (my emphasis)

This sudden 'urgency' for peace on the part of Olaf Scholtz is, acording to Burger and Rinke,

"Scholz is under pressure at home after all three parties in his centre-left coalition suffered painful losses in two regional state elections one week ago, while groups seeking better relations with Moscow won more votes.

Nationalist party Alternative for Germany (AfD) and new anti-establishment party BSW, who oppose military backing for Ukraine's fight against the Russian invasion, both booked record gains. " (ibid Ludwig Burger and Andreas Rinke)

 

Germans against supporting Ukraine win in German elections

Putin is, no doubt, thanking his 'comrades in arms' in the former East Germany, where he was previously stationed as the KGB representative, for their unwavering support of his war against Ukraine.

But against this backgound Putin's war-anxiety continues to grow apace as :-

• "The governor of Russia's southern Belgorod region said on Sunday Ukrainian forces attacked a fuel depot, triggering a series of fires after Moscow and Kyiv accused each other of launching overnight attacks on border regions." (NDTV: 9 September 2024) (my emphasis)
• "Ukraine is building weapons underground to supply the military with arms in the event of delays in military aid from abroad, President Volodymyr Zelensky said at the Ambrosetti International Economic Forum in Italy on Sept. 7.
  
  "We are building underground facilities for the production of weapons so that Ukrainian soldiers can defend themselves even when supplies from our partners are delayed," Zelensky said." (Kyiv Independent on Yahoo News: 8 September 2024)
• Zelenskyy and Meloni discussed Ukraine's immediate needs before winter, with Meloni emphasizing continued support as vital for Italy's national interest and global stability. (Sertac Aktan: Euro News: 7 September 2024) (my emphasis)

More importantly, John Paul Rathbone (left) reports that,

"Ukraine’s Kursk offensive has dented Vladimir Putin’s war narrative and triggered “questions” among the Russian elite about the point of the war, two of the world’s leading spy chiefs have said.

CIA director Bill Burns said Kursk was “a significant tactical achievement” that had boosted Ukrainian morale and exposed Russia’s weaknesses. It has “raised questions . . . across the Russian elite about where is this all headed”, he said. (Financial Times: 7 September 2024) (my emphasis)

Sky News: 8 September 2024

More disconcerting for Putin, 

"Russian drones have breached Nato airspace as Vladimir Putin’s forces targeted Ukraine in an “irresponsible” overnight attack.

Romania scrambled F-16 fighter jets to monitor the drones, which were detected in the early hours of Sunday morning while Latvia shared photos of a crashed drone in its eastern region.
...
Nato’s outgoing deputy secretary general Mircea Geoană said: 

“While we have  no information indicating an intentional attack by Russia against allies, these acts are irresponsible and potentially dangerous.” (Alexander Butler (left) and Arpan Rai (right): The Independent on Misrosoft Start: 9 September 2024) (my emphasis) 

As Putin's 'siloviki' begin to question the deluded aims of Putin's war with Ukraine, and as the effects of the war on the Russian economy manifest themselves in rising Russian inflation,

Charlie Bradley (left) also reports that,

"Vladimir Putin is facing more and more opposition in the Kremlin as oligarchs and politicians begin to voice anger over the war in Ukraine, an expert has said.

Historian and Russia expert Amy Knight (right) stated that,

"What I am saying is that a backdrop to any signs of discontent...the fact that there has been this [Russian] reshuffle means not all is running smoothly.

"Then Oleg Deripaska, one of the richest Russian oligarchs, all of a sudden he is in Japan and does an interview saying this should stop immediately and it is madness.

"Russian experts are saying that Deripaska would not be saying this if other influential people didn't agree with him." (Express: 8 September 2024) (my emphasis) 

 And now Putin is also trapped by Zelensky and Scholtz who stated that Russia be included in 'peace talks'.

The 'peace flag', it would seem, is no longer being simply gingerly held in Putin's hand.

 

 

 

(to be continued)