Commentary: Forget about diplomacy. Putin’s annexation guarantees a longer war
September was a rocky month for Vladimir Putin, the Russian strongman used to getting his way after more than two decades at the top of Russia’s political hierarchy. First came a tactical embarrassment of monumental proportions, when Russian forces lost more than 1,000 square miles of territory south of Kharkiv, Ukraine, in a manner of days — exposing the Russian army’s slapdash nature for the ...
September was a rocky month for Vladimir Putin, the Russian strongman used to getting his way after more than two decades at the top of Russia’s political hierarchy.
First came a tactical embarrassment of monumental proportions, when Russian forces lost more than 1,000 square miles of territory south of Kharkiv, Ukraine, in a manner of days — exposing the Russian army’s slapdash nature for the umpteenth time. Then came the diplomatic finger-wagging from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who used a public appearance with Putin on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit to urge him
