The war in Ukraine is seemingly deadlocked at present, with two warring parties struggling to make progress on the battlefield. The Russian-American political scientist and author, Leon Aron, believes that Putin is going to escalate the war.
– I think Putin is going to escalate the war to an overwhelming situation. He will confront the West with a nuclear ultimatum: “Stop the war, or force Ukraine to stop the war,” says the author of The Telegraph.
Read the comment: We have to ensure our own safety going forward
– Putin is obsessed
After the Second World War, Russia/the Soviet Union and the United States were referred to as the world’s two superpowers, but in recent times China and the United States are more often referred to as the only superpowers.
– Putin is completely obsessed with nuclear weapons, which are the only thing left of the Soviet superpower in Russia.
Aron is currently working on the book “Riding the Tiger: Vladimir Putin’s Russia and the Uses of War”. To The Telegraph, he says that Russian leaders historically cannot bear to lose a war.
– One thing the Russians do not tolerate is military failures. As long as he is alive, he will do everything he can not to lose the war, says Aron to the newspaper.
Read also: Ukraine’s breakthrough could be decisive: – This is our last chance
UiO professor disagrees
Professor at UiO and the Norwegian Defense Academy, Janne Haaland Matlary, does not agree with Aron’s predictions.
– At the moment, Russia manages to hold the front in Ukraine, and has the advantage of time. Ukraine is unable to penetrate and make a strategic breakthrough. Russia does not need to threaten with nuclear weapons, but can calmly keep the situation as it is, says Matlary to Nettavisen.
She also believes that Putin and co. have other cards to play than just nuclear weapons.
– Russia has large conventional forces, large production capacity for artillery shells and other ammunition, and has all maritime, air and nuclear weapons intact, adding:
– Russia does not need to rattle off nuclear weapons, but can do so if it is weakened conventionally. However, the war in Ukraine is now going Russia’s way.
Stuck conflict
Three weeks ago, Ukraine’s chief of defense, Valery Zaluzny, published a longer chronicle in which he described the situation on the battlefield as deadlocked.
This is consistent with recent weeks’ reports from, among others, the renowned think tank Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
Read also: Ukraine’s iron man admits: – Fell dramatically
2023-11-21 06:30:26
#Thinks #Putin #nuclear #weapons #card #completely #obsessed
