Desperate Putin. Doubtful Zelensky

Can Europe handle this?

It’s intriguing to observe that the Russians appear genuinely uncertain about the direction President Trump’s incoming administration will take.

I found it somewhat surprising — though not shocking — when Putin recently floated the notion that “Trump’s life is under threat” during an interview. Upon investigating further, I discovered that Dmitry Medvedev, Russia’s former president and a prominent Kremlin figure, had employed the exact same narrative just one day before the U.S. elections.

“He cannot stop the war. Not in a day, not in three days, not in three months. And if he really tries, he can be the new Kennedy”, Medvedev said.

That’s not too far from what Putin said last week:

“By the way, in my opinion, he is not safe now,” said Putin.

It’s not too hard to read between the lines. This is classic KGB rhetoric, now fully deployed by Putin himself. On one hand, the Kremlin praises Trump; on the other, they issue warnings for his safety. Adding to this, earlier this month, Russian state media — which operates entirely under Kremlin approval — broadcast vile and crude images of Melania Trump.

The Russians seem clueless.