Not all that long ago any such efforts were stymied by administration pressure and the reluctance of NATO members.
Now Slovakia is providing its S-300 defense system to Ukraine while we’re sending them Patriot missiles.
And NATO is urging members to provide heavy weapons.
Why the shift? The most obvious answer is that Russia is pulling back. The previous reluctance to provide heavy weapons was fear. Now that Putin has essentially conceded Kiev and is making fewer nuclear threats, NATO members are less worried that the war could come to their borders.
This move shows the cowardice and basic misguided priorities at work here.
It made the most sense to provide weapons when there was a heavy assault. Instead, Biden and NATO members spoke loudly, but hedged their bets. Now that they’re calculating that Ukraine will survive, they’re ready to provide more weapons. On the flip side, this makes Putin’s aggressiveness seem rational and encourages him to further escalate nuclear threats (he won’t do anything, but that doesn’t matter) because intimidation clearly works.
As I’ve said from the beginning, whatever we do, in or out, what’s truly damaging is showing indecision, making empty threats, and showing fear.
Either get in or stay out, but don’t destroy America’s deterrence and credibility.
I think that what the US and NATO are doing can be (if there is willingness to do so by Russia) regarded as a declaration of war.
I think that Russia and the West speak completely different languages psychologically, and the “Western world” is walking into a trap.
The S300 system from Sylvakia is reported to have been destroyed. It is an very large piece of hardware which can only be transported by rail line. It made an easy target which was expected to be destroyed as soon as it entered Ukraine. Russia has complete command of the air. I am not sure what they were thinking sending an outdated piece of hardware which could not be covertly transferred. So many things including this S300 system appears to be staged for PR and nothing else.