Russia retakes the initiative in Ukraine
Russian president Vladimir Putin has issued a “crude warning” to the West that Russia is ready to use nuclear weapons if its sovereignty or independence is threatened, just days before a presidential election that is all but certain to give him another six years in power, says ABC News. The West, along with China, which has “given Russia an economic lifeline against Western sanctions” and offered “tacit backing” for the invasion, have previously warned Putin against using nuclear weapons, says Max Seddon in the Financial Times. In an interview with Russian state television released early Wednesday, Putin said that although he does not see a nuclear war “rushing up”, “more direct Western military intervention” could change things. The US, Germany and other European countries have “ruled out” sending troops after French president Emmanuel Macron “floated the idea” last month.
Putin also said that he was ready for “serious talks on Ukraine”, adding that negotiations must be “based on reality – and not on cravings after the use of psychotropic drugs”, reports The Telegraph. The territories Russia has captured need to be recognised, he says, and Moscow provided with security guarantees. Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky insists on the withdrawal of Russian troops and the restoration of its borders before talks can begin.
In recent months, Russia has “recaptured the initiative against Ukraine’s outmanned and outgunned army”, says Tony Diver in the same newspaper. As the Moscow Times notes, the fall of the ruined city of Avdiivka last month, a “symbol of Ukrainian resistance to Moscow aggression since 2014”, handed Putin a “major symbolic victory” ahead of the March election. Although Washington announced a “surprise” $300m military aid shipment on Tuesday, the ammunition won’t “keep Ukraine’s guns firing” for long.