In a matter of days Vladimir Putin has managed to bring Europe closer together than it has been in decades.
Germany shut down Nordstream 2, which was central to its energy future. It has sent weapons to Ukraine, and has agreed – for the first time ever – to meet its 2% of GDP commitment for defense spending as a member of NATO. (Always remember, NATO members supply the battlefields; the United States provides the security umbrella.)
Hungary and the Czech Republic are condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine – and Hungary, in particular, has been running the “nationalist/Christian/white savior of “Europe” game that Vladimir Putin has been running for decades.
There are massive protests across Europe, and even some in Russia itself, against the invasion.
Most European airspace is closed to Russian aircraft; soon, it is likely that all of it will be.
Finland is apparently in quiet but serious talks to join NATO (with whom its forces have been cooperating and training for some time). Sweden is considering it, and I can imagine Austria has it in mind – but I don’t have any sourcing for that last claim. Just reason.
The SWIFT and other bank decisions the West has made re: Russia are also likely to crash the Russian banking system. The ruble, which is already barely worth anything, may fully collapse; bank runs are likely in Russia. (There are long lines at at least some ATMs there today.)
Meanwhile, days into the invasion the Russians still haven’t managed even to establish air superiority – something that is job #1 in any NATO or US plan, and which has recently been accomplished in places like Kosovo/Serbia and Iraq in the opening hours of operations.
Instead, Putin has now placed Russia’s nuclear forces on high alert. Which is only there for the big threat of “or else”; they have no practicable use in combat operations in Ukraine.
Which reminds me that many of you have never lived with an active nuclear threat over your lives. As an old, let me just say, “you get used to it.” You shouldn’t have to. But you do.
