Today, just a quick thought.
I wonder why President Vladimir V. Putin's war rhetoric has significantly softened.
For instance, in his annual Victory Day address on the 9th of May, Putin made no call for new sacrifice or mobilization, no threat of a nuclear strike, no stark pronouncement about an existential war with the West.Â
Since then, there have been no threats against the West.Â
This is my explanation for Putin's rhetoric change:
Putin has learned that military threats against the West do not prevent it from providing military support to Ukraine. On the contrary. The more Putin threatens the West, the more substantial Western support for Ukraine grows.
The reason: in the West, the majority has become convinced that if Putin is not stopped in Ukraine, other countries will become the focus of his greed.
So far, Putin's threats have achieved the opposite of his intention.
That's why Putin may have changed his strategy now. His newfound restraint, he may hope, will turn the tide. Maybe he is trying to dim the conflict rhetorically into a regional war, hoping that the war will slowly fade from the world spotlight and, as a result, support for Ukraine will dwindle.
Hopefully, Putin is wrong this time too.
sources:Â
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/09/world/europe/putin-speech-victory-day-ukraine-war.html  Â