Putin Tells West To Meet Him On The Battlefield...

[jboldeniv]

What do you all think about this?

[KrisF]

This is interesting as I've listened to this story from others sources too.

In my opinion, NATO knows a direct conflict with Russia would be too costly not just generally but especially as we get closer to winter when its member states will need more Russian gas. The timing of NATO's gas needs is likely to also play into Kyiv's support for the war, so it will be interesting to see what happens as Kyiv has expressed interest at arranging peace agreements before winter (albeit claimed for a different reason).

I doubt Putin is interested in the whole of Ukraine, but if Russia does extends its gains beyond the Donbass it'll probably be done to create a land bridge to it's enclave by Moldova due to security issues. Maybe they won't pull back from other areas such as the area above Crimea too because of the water security that position gives them, given that previously 80%+ of the water supply to Crimea was blocked by the Ukrainians prior to the invasion.

It's a shame it's got to this point but I doubt this will turn into WW3.