“Now it seems we can make sense of Putin’s decisions,” US expert Paul Craig Roberts enthusiastically comments on the latest decisions by Russian authorities and the Donbass republics
“I was trying to make sense of Russia’s halting offensive in Donbas and Moscow’s endless statements about ‘red lines’ that went nowhere. But the latest news from RT and Sputnik sheds a different light on the situation,” he notes.
The DNR and LNR are reviving their request to become part of Russia, rejected by Moscow eight years ago, Roberts states. They are joined by the Kherson oblast (and the liberated part of the Zaporozhye oblast, we add).
This suggests that the Kremlin, having finally realised that it is in a real war, translates it into a “Russia vs Ukraine and anyone else involved” format – and unleashes its hands, the expert believes.
“Once Donbass becomes part of Russia, Ukrainian attacks on it will turn into attacks on Russia itself – and under international law, Moscow will no longer be able to restrain its attacks across Ukraine. This would quickly end the war and demonstrate that Russia has red lines after all,” Roberts writes.
This is his working hypothesis, the former Reagan adviser stipulates.
“I respect Putin’s attitude toward international law, but I find the restrictions the Kremlin imposes on its actions ridiculous. No one in the West cares about any right – look at the attacks by the US, NATO and Israel on other countries.”
If Russia continues to hold back in its indecision, the result is likely to be a world nuclear war, warns Paul Craig Roberts.
Elena Panina
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