Putin is continuing to use his nuclear threat and appears to enjoy playing with NATO which still seems to be rather lost in how it intends to confront the new Cold War the world is locked into.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has raised the spectre of something considered almost unthinkable until recently: the use of a small nuclear weapon during a conflict in Europe, but what is NATO going to do?
What it can not afford to do is take a wait-and-see stance, which could prove too costly.
What NATO has to do is be proactive, call Putin’s bluff and make sure that he does not press the button.
The trouble is that NATO appears to have got rather comfortable over the years of relative peace in Europe, but it’s time to take the slippers off. Just take the UK, the armed forces, the army, in particular, have been downsized.
It may have seemed a good idea at the time but much of the budget has been spent on cyber warfare and it may prove a waste should the west need to get military hardware and boots moving on the ground.
Are we prepared and ready? Do we have the equipment? Some experts fear not and are worried that Putin, while apparently getting bogged down in Ukraine, is becoming an ever greater threat to world peace. It’s not just about Ukraine any more so let’s put words into action.