Putin is deadly serious about his wish to control Ukraine
Media mentions – Wider Europe
Putin’s end goal is to try to stay in power in Russia, to maintain his credibility and to stop the west from encroaching on what he sees as a traditional Russian sphere of interest
From this point of view, Germany also has a certain deterrent potential with Nord Stream 2, which it can use to prevent a military escalation
In the analysis of many foreign policy developments, Russia has correctly assessed the situation and the actors […] But with regard to Ukraine, it looks quite different
It is connectivity itself that gives people the opportunity to fight, the reasons to compete, and the arsenal to deploy
The Russians underestimate their degree of unpopularity in Ukraine and overestimate the sympathy they enjoy among the Russian-speaking population there
I think Putin’s intention is the same it has always been. He wants to exclude NATO membership for Ukraine and have a firm leverage to make sure that Ukraine will never think of anything likewise
The war preparation heavily using propaganda has already run the whole summer
Nord Stream 2 has become a suitcase without a handle: hard to abandon; hard to take along-
EurActive quotes from a commentary by Jonathan Hackenbroich and Kadri Liik on Nord Stream 2