Putin is furiously treading water in the deep political puddle he is floundering in.

As I wrote in my last blog entry (3 January 2025),

Palki Sharma (below) is correct in stating that,

 

"Donald Trump's plan may still work. To deliver peace he will have to build consensus. He made it sound like a 'cakewalk'. But it may turn out to be one of the toughest challenges of his presidency. We do hope he 'cracks' it."      ( cf  Palki Sharma vidio: Firstpost: 3 January 2025)

Confirming what Palki Sharma has said, we now have Trump, himself, adding to the diplomatic toughness of his  pre-US President boastful assertions about quickly ending Putin's war in Ukraine.

As reported by Tony Diver (right),

"Donald Trump’s impromptu declaration that America will acquire Greenland, the Panama Canal and possibly Canada during his second presidential term have set the hares running in embassies across the world.
...
Germany and Denmark have all warned Mr Trump not to pursue Greenland, which has been in Danish hands since the early 19th century, and expressed alarm over his refusal to rule out a military invasion to secure it." (Daily Telegraph: 8 January 2025) (my emphasis)

ABC News: 27 December 2024: YouTube

By following in the 'country-invasion playbook' of Putin, when he invaded Ukraine for the second time in 2022, Trump's assertion that he does not, "... rule out a military invasion of Greenland to secure it", must surely be music to Putin's ears.

No wonder, as Palki Sharma reported in her video,

"Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (left) has outright rejected peace proposals linked to President-elect Donald Trump’s team, casting doubt on efforts to end the war in Ukraine. Lavrov criticised the Trump camp's leaked ideas, including delaying Ukraine's NATO membership by 20 years and stationing European peacekeeping troops within Ukraine." (ibid Palki Sharma)

We should not discount the fact that soon-to-be 78 year-old US President-elect, Donald Trump, is surrounding himself with a coterie of much younger internet oligarchs like Elon Musk and, more recently, Mark Zuckerberg (right: Musk and Zuckerberg)

Their control over the global data on the internet is governed by their ideology of near 'absolute free-speech' for everyone in the world, an ideology which is sending shivers down the spines of world leaders and politicians. 

As Chris Hayes (left) reports,

"With less than two weeks until Donald Trump takes office, an actual real-life — not metaphorical — oligarchy is coalescing around the president-elect. It’s pretty unprecedented in the context of the United States and ominous in many respects, but it is also a genuinely clarifying development for the pro-democracy coalition, especially as it prepares its opposition to the second Trump administration." (MSNBC: 8 January 2025) (my emphasis)

Chris Hayes  MSNBC: 8 January 2025

Is is any wonder that, as reported by France 24,

"Ukraine's Western allies will gather with President Volodymyr Zelensky at a US base in Germany on Thursday in their last such meeting before Donald Trump returns to the White House in less than two weeks.

US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin is expected to announce a substantial new military aid package for Kyiv at the 25th such talks at Ramstein Air Base that will include representatives from some 50 countries.

Ukrainian president Zelensky only confirmed late Wednesday that he will fly in for the meeting.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas were also expected at the Ukraine Defence Contact Group meeting starting at 1000 GMT alongside German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius." (France 24: 9 January 2025) (my emphasis)

Furthermore, as Alex Marquardt (right) reports,

"The Biden administration has announced the final tranche of military aid it will send to Ukraine, amounting to about $500 million.
...
The last package comes as the White House prepares to announce another round of sanctions on Russia, expected at the end of this week. US officials have argued they are trying to give Ukraine the greatest leverage possible ahead of possible negotiations to end the war this year." (CNN: 9 January 2025) (my emphasis) 

So whilst Putin seems to be digging in his heels by rejecting peace proposals linked to President-elect Donald Trump’s team, in the hope that Trump will cave in to his demands; given that Trump himself wants to invade and annex Greeenland, the dire state of Russia's economy and army is being internationally displayed for all to see.

Putin is now treading water in the deepening political puddle he is floundering in.

UPDATE: 11 January 2024 : GMT 09:56 

Putin is now drowning under the weight of new economic sanctions descending upon the failing Russian economy.

As Alexander Butler,Vishwam Sankaran and Tom Watling report,

"Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed new oil sanctions on Russia by the UK and US, thanking the two allies for their “unwavering support” against Russia’s war machine.

Washington announced a comprehensive new sanctions package against Russia’s oil industry on Friday with trade restrictions imposed on nearly 200 Russian vessels, dozens of traders, some senior Russian oil executives, and two major oil companies.

The UK also imposed its own restrictions on the Russian oil giants – Gazprom Neft and PJSC Surgutneftegas." (The Independent on MSN: 11 January 2025) (my emphasis)

The Independent on MSN: 11 January 2024

  Mari Yamaguchi (left) also reports that,

"Japan’s Cabinet on Friday approved additional sanctions against Russia over its war on Ukraine, including freezing the assets of dozens of individuals and groups and banning exports to dozens of organizations in Russia and several other countries that have allegedly helped it evade sanctions." (AP: 10 January 2025) (my emphasis) 

It is therefore no wonder that, as reported by Thibault Spirlet (right),

 "Russia's elites are growing tired of waiting for the war to end and are concerned about the long-term impact of Western sanctions on Russia's economy, according to a report by Meduza.

High-ranking sources told the independent Russian outlet that Russia's "elites" are disappointed that the war with Ukraine didn't end in 2024.
...
Russia's economy has also come under strain due to persistent high inflation, slowing economic growth, and Western sanctions." (Business Insider: 10 January 2025) (my emphasis)

With the possible upcoming meeting between incoming US president Trump and Putin, the critical question is:

"Will Trump now throw Putin a lifeline to save him from politically drowning?"

                                 

 

 

(to be continued)