Ramifications of a protracted war

"I think that Putin continues to play for time in the ongoing peace talks. There is not one drop of his blood which yearns for peace. He remains a frustrated Cold Warrior, who would love to make parts of the Cold War - hot. I know President Trump is totally frustrated with Putin, but you can't make a horse drink water if the horse is not thirsty."

With the war in Ukraine still raging, and peace talks (in my opinion) going nowhere, it is time to look in depth at this meatgrinder of a war. Many things have been penned about the death and misery of this war, but are there some other effects which have been noted? Some thoughts this morning.

This war, which was supposed to be over in a matter of days or weeks, has lasted this long due to the grit and ingenuity of the Ukrainian fighters. How so? These folks have taken gamer type drones and developed a new type of drone technology which has decimated Russian troops and tanks. In fact, this technology is so good, so advanced, that Ukraine has developed a worldwide reputation for drones. Truthfully - it has changed the face of warfare forever.

NATO - Putin's biggest fear was to have a stronger and bigger NATO. By invading Ukraine, this became a self-fulfilling prophesy. With the addition of Finland and Sweden, and the strengthening of Norway, NATO has become much bigger and much, much stronger. Not only that, the "getting by on the cheap" than many member nations have had in the past, has been replaced by ponying up to 5% of GDP. The long and the short of it? NATO has never been stronger or more resolute.

Having a much stronger NATO in Europe has allowed the United States to still be involved, but not as deeply. China needs attention to detail, and not being bogged down in Europe really helps us. But - Article 5 still has one of our feet stuck in the tar. We will always be involved in Europe should the Russian Bear forget how to behave. 

I think that Putin continues to play for time in the ongoing peace talks. There is not one drop of his blood which yearns for peace. He remains a frustrated Cold Warrior, who would love to make parts of the Cold War - hot. I know President Trump is totally frustrated with Putin, but you can't make a horse drink water if the horse is not thirsty.