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U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken mocked Russia’s armed forces during a speech in Finland, saying that “many see Russia’s military as the second-strongest in Ukraine.” Those remarks came about after a more detailed dissection of the Kremlin’s strategic failures in the Ukraine War.
Straight Arrow News contributor Peter Zeihan says that while he appreciates a good joke at Vladimir Putin’s expense, he cautions that Russia’s military woes in Ukraine are no laughing matter.
Excerpted from Peter’s June 6 “Zeihan on Geopolitics” newsletter:
While in Helsinki, Secretary of State Blinken got some chuckles from the crowd (and me) when he said, “The Kremlin often claimed it had the second strongest military in the world, and many believed it. Today, many see Russia’s military as the second strongest in Ukraine.”
I’m all for some dark humor and ill-timed comedic relief (especially when it’s used to garner more aid and support for Ukraine), but I don’t want us to lose sight of who we’re talking about. A glance at the history books will show you a myriad of crushing defeats for the Russians, yet they persist.
Russia is both incredibly weak and resilient. While I’m confident that this is the beginning of the end of the Russian system, belittling them in this conflict isn’t going to speed up that process. On the other side of this war, we will be left with a resurgent Russia or a very bitter Russia (who happens to have 1,000+ nuclear warheads at their disposal).
Just a word of warning. You can still giggle at Russia’s incompetence or silly Putin memes, but don’t forget who we’re dealing with…
