Vladimir Putin’s recent statements about the use of the new medium-range Oreshnik missile against Ukraine are not directed so much at kyiv as at Western countries. This is another attempt to put pressure on the West, says journalist Vitaly Portnikov of Radio Svoboda.
According to him, the Kremlin continues to use blackmail as a key tool in its foreign policy. The demonstration of the new missile is not just an act of intimidation, but part of a complex game intended to present Western leaders with difficult options. Putin seems to be asking them questions: are they ready for escalation? Can the West resist new threats, such as the use of increasingly destructive weapons?
The Russian president also does not exclude the possibility of attacks against targets of countries that support Ukraine. According to Portnikov, this is an attempt to intimidate Western society so that politicians begin to think about the risks of transferring the war to their territories.
However, as Western analysts point out, the West has all the tools to respond to such aggression.
Experts from the Warsaw publication Polityka emphasize that Western countries have in their arsenal economic levers, cyber technologies and even space technologies that they can use if necessary. Furthermore, military exercises with nuclear weapons and tests of new types
Earlier, Kursor reported that Putin vitally needs truce negotiations.
It is in the interests of the head of the Kremlin to portray the negotiation process, but not to reach an agreement.
