Did Vladimir Putin just blink?
Not long ago at Palmer Report, we said that the standoff between President Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin over Ukraine would probably result in nothing, despite the media trying to suggest war as an inevitability to keep viewers scared and tuned in. At the same time, conservative pundits have been using the conflict as an opportunity to drum up sympathy for Putin, despite him occupying the larger and more powerful country over the up and coming democracy of Ukraine.
Already, we’re seeing a shift in tensions as Russia is loudly grumbling over the peace talks – saying they see little optimism but are going to keep them going anyway. It’s not exactly something you say when your side is winning – and the US and other NATO countries have declared that they’re making zero concessions on Ukraine.
This isn’t the kind of thing you do when you’re expecting the other team to back down – nor is it something that pushes them in this direction. There could be another point in time when they claim that the peace talks are futile and they’re going to escalate it anyway – but that only makes the bluster even more ridiculous.
It’s likely that the Kremlin isn’t used to not getting their way after the last four years and now they have to change tactics again, apart from simply trying to project strength they don’t actually have. It’s also noteworthy that this development is happening shortly after President Biden and Ukrainian President Zelenskyy have spoken together. This is a win for the leadership of NATO.
James Sullivan is the assistant editor of Brain World Magazine and an advocate of science-based policy making