But that reality doesn’t seem to have sunk in yet. He has assured travelers like Nehammer that he remains determined to achieve his goal.
While Russian casualties have risen and Putin’s ambitions in Ukraine have shrunk, US intelligence assessments have concluded that the Russian president believes Western efforts to punish him and rein in his power Russia’s power will crack over time. With the help of China, India and other countries in Asia, he seems to believe he can avoid true isolation, in the same way he did after annexing Crimea in 2014.
Now, American officials are faced with what feels increasingly like a protracted and acrimonious confrontation, and they have been met with repeated reminders by Putin that the world is messing with a superpower. nuclear weapons states and should tread carefully.
On Wednesday, after warning the Pentagon that a missile test was imminent – a requirement of the New START treaty, which is four years away – Putin announced that the launch should “provide real Products to think for those, in the heat. of crazy aggressive rhetoric, trying to threaten our country. ”
In fact, this missile, if deployed, would add only a small fraction of Russia’s capabilities. But the launch was about timing and symbolism: It came amid recent warnings by the public, including Mr Burns, that there was a small but growing chance that Mr Putin could move to attack. chemical weapons, or even a nuclear detonation.
If Putin turns his back on the United States or its allies, the assumption has always been that Russia will use its cyberweapons to retaliate for the impact of sanctions on the Russian economy. But eight weeks into the conflict, there were no significant cyberattacks beyond the usual buzz of everyday Russian cyber activity in American networks, including ransomware attacks. ).
