Putin’s Pusillanimity Is Leading to Nuclear War

Paul Craig Roberts

Putin’s pusillanimity has destroyed any belief among Western governments that Russia will defend its interests and sovereignty. Even tiny countries such as Estonia have no trepidation about boarding Russian oil tankers on the high seas.  As Russia’s military budget has been constrained by Putin’s protégée Elvira Nabiullina, a pro-Western Russian official who heads the Russian central bank, the Russian navy is insufficient to protect tankers with Russian oil.  Moreover, Putin, who gave in to pressure by Trump and Israel, deserted Syria and thereby lost Russia’s air and naval bases and no longer has a presence in the Mediterranean Sea.

The Telegraph reports that France, Belgium, Germany, and Finland have joined Estonia in boarding tankers carrying Russian oil, with 13 seized to date. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/08/21/russia-defenceless-mediterranean-first-time-decades-putin/  These are acts of war, but they get no response from Putin who also dismisses missile and drone attacks on Russian infrastructure, cities and civilians as mere “acts of terrorism.”  As far as Putin is concerned war exists only on the Donbas front and is limited to a temporary military intervention.

Putin’s inability after 4.5 years to win a minor conflict and his endless acquiesce to provocations have encouraged the West to cross the line and to engage in actual acts of war against Russia.  As nothing brings a Russian response, expect the provocations to increase until Russia’ only option is nuclear.

BRICS is another casualty of Putin’s pusillanimity.  The organization has neither supported Russia in its conflict with the West nor has it supported Iran against the Israeli-American attack.  BRICS members oppose the US sanctions against Russia and Iran with words, but deeds are scarce on the ground.  Iran has been unsuccessful in convincing BRICS to serve as a joint mechanism to support its members in the face of illegal unilateral sanctions.