Putin Threatens NATO on Visit to Kaliningrad
Putin's Gambit is a desperate attempt by a former KGB agent to get a useful idiot elected
Vladimir Putin needs Donald Trump in the White House. It’s the only way he might pull victory out of the jaws of defeat. Trump hasn’t even been elected, and he has already delivered on getting aid to Ukraine cut off. Putin is now threatening to “nuke” NATO if they don’t remember “how great Russia really is.”
As sincerely sad all of this sounds — and is, “Hey guys, I am great, no really. Believe me!” — Putin, an observant and conniving little tyrant, is certain his latest gambit will not just buy him time but also ultimately bury Ukrainian independence. Regrettably, he could be right. The Trump factor is so destabilizing to world peace that ten months out from the next election, Putin is rattling his rusty sword to signal that “I need Trump, and if I get Trump, the world will be a safer place.” Unless you happen to be a citizen of Ukraine.
The past two years have not been good for the self-proclaimed savior of all things Russian. His hands often tremble, and at times, he speaks so softly that he can barely be heard. Other times, he seems to be “roid-raging” and spits when threatening to blow up the world. With all of the uncertainty there was about a future Trump nomination, the failures and treasonous incompetence of the Republican Party have returned Trump to his throne. The Party of America is finalizing the touches on its latest sabotage of American democracy by choosing a mentally unstable, twice-impeached, insurrectionist man-child to represent them for the presidency of the United States.
All of us, and when I say “us,” I am including Putin in this mess, know where Trump’s loyalties lie: first to himself and then to the Kremlin. This pleases Putin immensely. When Trump weighed in with Republican Senators and told them to blow up the border deal, Putin had one of those “See, I told you we would eventually win this war and get what we want” moments with his doubters in the Kremlin. Putin is experienced at playing the long game, and until the invasion of Ukraine, he had always been able to keep his emotions hidden from view. The irrationality of the invasion left many scratching their heads. Putin, however, knew better than most just how destabilizing Trump was to American power.
Since the moment the U.S. began supporting Ukraine, Tucker Carlson worked overtime to cast doubt on the righteousness of our support. Eventually, he wore down the Foxified, and not supporting Ukraine became a new merit badge for stupid. MAGidiots, still resentful over Zelensky’s refusal to dig up non-existent dirt on Biden, rejoiced when they saw that it was possible to “get even” with the Ukrainian president. The torture, rape of children, and executions of civilians were all just fake news, anyway, so consciences were clear.
As Ukraine begins to struggle with replenishing its ammo stocks, there will be no new American aid to the freedom fighters. Europe is struggling to clear its aid past Viktor Orban of Hungary and has finally threatened to make Hungary a non-voting member of the European Union. Nonetheless, much of the aid earmarked for Ukraine from Europe is humanitarian. Ukraine’s military predicament, thanks to Trump’s support for Putin, had become dire.
That is why Putin is signaling he is ready to talk. If Ukraine appreciates that the next year will see no new American military help, it will be more likely to consider some compromise. Putin’s state media machine and his sources in Western media will credit any potential peace deal with Putin’s “respect and maybe even fear” of Trump.
Putin, remember, is a first-class strategist, and when it comes to treachery and just good, old-fashioned villainy, he sees things that most of us can’t. The lack-of-military-aid angle is a long game that many will likely miss. Yesterday, Putin popped up in Kaliningrad, which is a small region of Russia surrounded on three sides by NATO countries (Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia) and the Baltic Sea on the fourth side, and immediately let a warning to the world fly: Lest you forget, let me remind you, we are a nuclear power, and we will use our missiles to put NATO in its place.
The despot warned that countries bordering the Baltic Sea territory are not prepared for ‘what will follow’ after many decided to tear down Soviet war memorials. During his surprise visit on Thursday, which saw Putin fly close to NATO airspace, the 71-year-old told students at Kant Baltic Federal University: ‘This is stunning ignorance and lack of understanding of where they live, what they are doing and what will follow (Putin Issues Brazen Warning).’
The Kremlin later tried to walk this back a bit, but not really.
Being someone who thinks a lot about Putin’s actions and a person who knows the Russian mind better than most Russians themselves realize it, this is my read on the two “signals” from last week. Putin shows he is ready to talk about peace because he respects Trump and is confident he will be elected president. Nonetheless, if the U.S. and NATO don’t want to accept his generous offers, he is ready to take the war to a new level.
He offers that a world with Donald Trump as the U.S. president is one where Russia and the United States will not be adversaries. Between now and election day, Putin’s shifts between Hitler-esque buffoonery and Mother Theresa-like calls for peace will create enough distraction to sway a few percentage points of voters away from Biden to Trump. In what promises to be a very close election, 1, 2, or 3 percent could decide whether American democracy survives or Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping are shouting “Gonbai” as they down shots of vodka on November 6th.