Vlad’s just Putin on a tough act
HE’S TOO SCARED OF TRUMP
VLADIMIR Putin’s threat to hit back at America over Syria is a “bluff” because he is scared of Donald Trump, say military experts.
The Russian leader has vowed to block more US attacks and beef up Syria’s defences after Trump’s missile blitz last Friday.
But senior military figures claim that Putin’s tough talking is just a lot of hot air.
Igor Sutyagin of the Royal United Services Institute said: “Putin is raising the stakes but he is bluffing.
“He knows he cannot do anything militarily to cause a confrontation with the US.
“He wants the US to blink first because he does not have the resources to withstand America and its allies.
“The Syrian conflict is becoming embarrassing. He won’t defend Syria at Russia’s expense.” ® Expert on Russia’s military Jonathan Eyal said Putin would be reluctant to put Russian lives on the line for Syria’s President Assad. “Putin is being typically macho but the US action in Syria is a direct challenge to his authority and he knows he will lose if there is a one-to-one confrontation,” Mr Eyal added. The US President was praised around the world for hitting back at evil Assad after he killed 86 people, including 27 children, in a Sarin gas attack. Putin branded it an “illegal act of aggression” – sparking fears of an all-out war between Russia and the West. But experts believe he is desperate to sign a deal that will end the six-year Syrian civil war, which has cost more than 400,000 lives. Putin is especially fearful of a mid-air collision between US and Russian warplanes over Syrian airspace.