Putin plans new offensive as Trump refuses to arm Ukraine – WSJ
Photo: Putin is preparing a new offensive (Getty Images)
As the summer approaches, Russia appears to be preparing for a new offensive as Ukraine's stockpile of American weapons is running low, reports The Wall Street Journal.
According to the media, over the winter, Russia seized part of the territory in eastern Ukraine, but at the cost of heavy losses and without strategic breakthroughs.
Putin knows that Ukraine will exhaust its current stockpile of American ammunition in a few weeks, the article says.
Trump has sincerely tried to mediate to end the war, but the US president looks worse the longer Putin talks about peace but wages war.
Putin's failure to attend the talks in Istanbul is the latest proof that the Russians are not serious about ending the war, and it is not surprising.
Putin believes that Trump can abandon Ukraine and make it easier for him to continue seizing Ukrainian territory, the article says.
The Kremlin has sent a low-level delegation to Türkiye, similar to the one it sent in 2022 for talks that were not serious, the WSJ writes.
Effective methods
Since Trump's inauguration, Putin has launched 346 missiles and more than 13,000 real and fake drones into Ukraine, according to estimates by the Institute for the Study of War.
“Vladimir, STOP!” Trump wrote on social media after a Russian strike killed civilians in Kyiv late last month. Putin did not stop. Another attack on the capital last week killed civilians.
The best path to peace is to increase pressure on Moscow. Trump could start with secondary sanctions against countries that buy Russian energy, the WSJ notes.
Former US Treasury Department Chief Economist Eric Van Nostrand wrote this week that removing a quarter of Russia's oil exports from the market would cut the Kremlin's oil revenues by 20%. Global oil production is high enough to not raise US gas prices much.
Trump may also announce his support for increased military aid to Ukraine. When Trump finally meets with Putin, Ukraine and Trump will negotiate from a much stronger position. Peace through strength, as someone once called it, the WSJ concludes.
A new offensive
According to CNN, Russia is amassing forces on the front line for a new offensive and the seizure of new Ukrainian territory. Putin is going to try to take any land he can get, right up to the outskirts of Kyiv, a US official told the outlet.
Earlier, Ukrainian intelligence officials told the Financial Times that Russia is preparing for a large-scale offensive in Ukraine, instead of signaling its readiness for peace talks.
