Russian President Vladimir Putin was ridiculed by current and former US officials Sunday as “delusional” and a “small, feral-eyed man” who got more than he bargained for by launching a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
“We’re seeing a small, feral-eyed man who was trying to shape the world in the image where, once again, Russia would be an empire, and that’s not going to happen,” Sen. Mitt Romney
“The people of the world see him and see Russia for what it is, and they say, ‘No, we will fight for freedom,’ ” the Utah Republican said.
Russian troops are facing fierce opposition from Ukrainian forces as they try to take the capital of Kyiv and other large cities as President Volodymyr Zelensky continues to rally his country’s citizens. The Ukrainian president has refused offers from the United States to evacuate, saying, “The fight is here; I need ammunition, not a ride.”
Zelensky, a onetime TV comedian who p✨layed a president, has been hailed as a hero an𒆙d stands in stark contrast to Putin, Romney said.
“The world recognizes the difference between good and evil here,” Romney said.
“The world is behind the people of Ukraine. … The Russian government is a pariah, and the entire world should be protesting and letting Russia know how badly they’re seen on the world stage.”
The US, European Union and a number of countries have slapped sanctions on Putin, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Russian banks and the country’s oligarchs who make up Putin’s inner circle.
After sending thousands of Russian troops into Ukraine with the aim to topple Zelensky, Putin then upped the ante by suggesting Sunday that the conflict could go nuclear when he ordered his military to put its nuclear forces on high alert because of “aggressive sta🌜tements” by Western leaders.
“Western countries aren’t only taking unfriendly actions against our country in the economic spꦗher♔e, but top officials from leading NATO members made aggressive statements regarding our country,” Putin said in televised remarks.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg fired back on CNN, “This is dangerous rhetoric. This is a behavior which is irresponsible.
“And, of course, if you combine this rhetoric with what they’re doing on the ground in Ukraine, waging war against an independent, sovereign nation, conducting a full-fledged invasion of Ukraine, this adds to the seriousness of the situation,” he said.
Stoltenberg said Putin’s unpredictability is why the alliance increased its troop presence in eastern Europe in the past months as Russia continued to add troops and military equipment along the border with Ukraine.
“We also have to realize that we are now faced with a new normal for our security. There will be some long-term consequences. And this is just the beginning of the adaptation that we need to do as a response to a much more aggressive Russia,” he said.
Former US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was asked about Putin raising 🐓the ༒nuclear stakes in Europe.
“I don’t know where he is in that dark world, but I will say this: We have to make sure that he really understands that the cost would be extraordinary to try to cross [NATO’s] Article 5 line: An attack upon one is an attack upon all. And so, the Baltic States are indeed protected under that guarantee by the United States of America,” she
Rice, who ran the State Department during the Bush administration, said she’ll be watching to see what Russia offers in talks with Ukraine on Monday.
“We’ll see what terms the Russians offer, and I’m sure that it’s a good thing that they’re going to talk,” she said.
“But if anything, what this may show is that Vladimir Putin expected an easy win here. He thought he would waltz into the capital, into Kyiv. In his own delusional rendering of history, Ukrainians and Russians are the same, and he would overthrow this government and might even be welcomed as a liberator,” she said.
H. R. McMaster, the former national security adviser in the Trump White House between 2017 and 2018, said Putin has put himself in a “difficult position” because of the consequences he has brought on his country.
“I think Putin got a lot more than he bargained for. He’s in a very difficult position. And I think anything we can do, obviously, financially, going after his international criminal enterprise with sanctions and so forth is important. But the support for Ukraine’s ability to defend themselves is also important,” McMaster
He was asked if Putin is a “rational actor.
“I don’t think he’s a rational actor because he’s fearful, right? What he wants to do more than anything is restore Russia to national greatness. He’s driven by that. He’s also driven by a desire to remain in power to at least 2036,” McMaster said.
“And so I think now he knows that all of that is at risk, right? That Russia, the Russian military, doesn’t look very good right now. He doesn’t look very powerful. And this is going to jeopardize his ability to stay in power,” he said.
