Vladimir Putin is afraid of Western countries and his constant threats cannot hide this, on the contrary – they clearly prove it, writes The Telegraph.
One of the more predictable features of the war in Ukraine has been Putin's apocalyptic threats whenever Western leaders seek to bolster the Ukrainian military's firepower.
Putin's pathetic rhetoric is intended to intimidate Western leaders into reducing their pro-Ukraine stance. The tactic began days after Russia launched its so-called “special military operation” to conquer Ukraine. To deter Western interference, he warned that the West faced “terrible consequences” if it supported Ukraine's fight for freedom.
Since then, he has repeatedly mentioned Russia's vast nuclear arsenal, usually when NATO leaders are considering ways to improve their military support, such as providing tanks and F-16 fighter jets. One of his more outspoken threats came in February after French President Emmanuel Macron unilaterally proposed deploying NATO forces to the Ukrainian battlefield. Putin threatened with “destruction of civilization”.
Nothing came of those threats, not least because China, whose support the Kremlin relies on to prop up the Russian economy, has made it clear that it will not tolerate the use of any nuclear weapons by Moscow.
While Putin spouts empty threats, Western arms shipments continue to make their way into Ukraine, greatly improving Ukrainians' ability to defend themselves against Russian aggression. That's not to say that the Russian leader's boasting hasn't influenced the debate over military support for Ukraine.
Joe Biden, in particular, has been cowed by Putin's threats, often delaying the provision of vital military equipment for fear of provoking a wider escalation of the conflict.
Concerns about Russia's response to Ukraine if it uses Western-made long-range missiles to strike targets on Russian soil similarly hamper America's ability to provide clarity on the issue.
Putin has good reason to fear their use, as they could destroy 250 Russian bases near the border used to launch almost daily attacks on Ukraine's civilian infrastructure.
The Biden administration's hesitancy simply gives the Russians a clear advantage on the battlefield, which is perverse given that Moscow relies on Iranian-supplied ballistic missiles and drones to sustain its barbaric onslaught.
What's more, Washington's hesitancy on the issue fails to take into account Putin's own political predicament, where instead of achieving any of his goals in Ukraine, he suffered the first loss of Russian territory since World War II.
The Russian leader is desperately clinging to the hope that Donald Trump will win the presidential election in November – hoping thereby to annex much of Ukraine. Such an outcome would be catastrophic. The window of time to press the Ukrainian advantage is getting narrower. Western leaders must take the initiative and allow Ukraine to win this war.