Bullies and tyrants always blame others for “forcing” them into aggressive war. Hitler was a master at it. He blamed Poland for starting World War II — just like Russian President Vladimir Putin.
So it’s no surprise that Putin would try to blame the United States for whatever illegal action he plans to take in Ukraine.
“Their most important task is to contain Russia’s development,” Putin said of the United States — a theme he has been returning to again and again in recent weeks. “Ukraine is just an instrument of achieving this goal. It can be done in different ways, such as pulling us into some armed conflict and then forcing their allies in Europe to enact those harsh sanctions against us that are being discussed today in the United States.”
You’ve got to hand it to the guy. His brazenness can be breathtaking.
Mr. Putin described the possibility of Ukraine joining NATO as an existential threat not just to Russia, but to world peace. He said that a Western-allied Ukraine strengthened with NATO weapons could launch a war against Russia to recapture Crimea — which Russia annexed in 2014, a move unrecognized by the international community — leading to war between Russia and the NATO bloc.
“If we look at all these many questions deeply, seriously, then it becomes clear that in order to avoid such a negative development of the situation — and we want to avoid it — all countries’ interests, including those of Russia, must be truly taken into account, and a way of solving this problem must be found,” Mr. Putin said.
Why would Ukraine want to recapture Crimea? Could it be that Russia illegally occupied it in the first place?
Putin is becoming more like Hitler every day.
Mr. Putin in December threatened that Russia would take unspecified “military-technical” measures if the West did not meet its demands.
He did not repeat those threats on Tuesday, instead sounding a somewhat optimistic note, describing the diplomacy that has been underway. He noted that President Emmanuel Macron of France could soon visit Moscow.
“I hope that eventually we will find this solution though it’s not easy, we understand that,” Mr. Putin said. “But to talk today about what that will be — I am, of course, not ready to do that.”
This is another classic Hitler move: Speaking optimistically about negotiations until the tanks start rolling. It’s not surprising that Putin would imitate Hitler in some of his strategies. After all, it worked once, didn’t it?
Putin has his own timetable with regard to Ukraine. It’s doubtful he has deviated from that schedule much. He hasn’t had to. Biden and the west have been utterly predictable in their responses and Putin has already factored in whatever damage could be done by western sanctions to the Russian economy.
Related: Why Putin Has Not Been Deterred
The Russian president is only waiting to see how much Biden and NATO leaders are going to give him to avoid a full-scale attack. He will keep the pressure on until he gets maximum leverage out of his invasion threats. If he gets a pledge from the alliance never to admit Ukraine as a NATO member, he will have won a significant — and bloodless — victory.
If that were to happen, Putin would have veto power over NATO membership. Might as well ask him to sit in as a member.
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