France is entrapped in the predicament of countries that get sandwiched between great powers. It is condemned to diplomacy that is constantly in a state of suspended animation interspersed with sudden bouts of activity
The thrust of Putin’s state of the union address lies in his refusal to accept a fate for Russia in existential terms arranged by the West
A recent statement by French President Emmanuel Macron has led to questions on whether the ground is being prepared for a soft landing for the idea of western military deployment in Ukraine in some form
The US is re-energizing its coalition with Germany and Poland for the next phase of the Ukraine war. But, the German public is conflicted over this war
All indications are that the US strategy through this year is to ‘hold, build and strike’ at Russia. Meanwhile, Moscow’s best option would be to create a buffer that keeps Russian territories out of reach of game-changing western medium and long-range missiles
The anniversary of an epochal event from the annals of modern history, the Siege of Leningrad, is coming up in another 10 days. While it remains a living memory for the Russian people, it is an occasion that the US and many of its European allies would rather not remember
Biden’s interest narrows down to prevent the war from spreading in the region lest direct American military intervention becomes necessary. The US rhetoric and diplomatic posturing largely aims at damage control in Washington’s relations with its erstwhile allies in the region.
Putin’s message is that any new Western narrative on the war is doomed to meet with the same fate as the previous one unless there is realism that Russia cannot be militarily defeated and its legitimate interests are recognized
The US and Israel are desperate to rope in India in their upcoming ill-fated ‘war on terror’ against Yemen, a civilisational state, so as to give their risky enterprise a regional habitation and name
Suffice to say, no matter Ukraine’s defeat in the proxy war with Russia, Zelensky’s use for the US’ geo-strategy remains. The US is increasingly eyeing the Arctic lately as the new theater to entrap Russia in a quagmire
Ukraine will remain a priority issue for Russia and that is one main reason why the Russian elite and the nation at large want Putin to remain in power until 2030
Zelensky’s political future will be crucially affected by the decision taken by the US senate apropos USD 60 billion in additional aid for Ukraine