'The consequence of Russian restraint and indecision, if it persists, is likely to be nuclear war. It is nuclear war that I am writing against.'
By Dr. Paul Craig Roberts: I have been attempting to make sense out of Putin’s halting of the
Russian offensive in Donbass, thus handing the initiative over to
Ukraine, which Ukraine has attempted to exploit in counter-offensives.
The first counter-offensive in Kherson was destroyed, but the second one
in the Kharkov area, where Russian forces were thin, forced a Russian
pullback.
I have also been
attempting to make sense out of Putin’s endless announcements of red
lines that he never enforces while the “limited conflict” widens
precipitously, now with Ukraine’s request for Washington to supply long
range missiles capable of attacking the Kerch Bridge, Russia’s Black Sea
naval base in Crimea, and Russian towns and cities. Already
Ukraine has attacked Russian villages close to its border to little
effect, which is perhaps why the attacks called forth no response from
the Kremlin. Washington, eyeing Putin’s lack of response to violations
of his red lines, and so far encountering no Russian response to the
widening of the war, is considering supplying the long-range missiles,
perhaps through third parties, to Ukraine.
