Another attack by Russia on peaceful cities. There are dead, wounded, fires, destruction, and the shockwave damaged the St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv.
At the same time, the Kremlin fills the airwaves with messages claiming that Ukraine—surprise!—wants to sabotage the negotiations. Apparently, cynically exposing UNESCO heritage sites, maternity hospitals, and residential buildings to Russian drones and missiles is part of this strategy.
In other words, Russia’s killing of civilians, including children (in Sumy, a teenager died from wounds after a week of treatment; the death toll from the Russian attack on June 3 has risen to six…) is portrayed as a demonstration of commitment to diplomacy.
Meanwhile, exposing Russia’s war crimes and strikes on Russian military targets, including ballistic missile launchers and airfields, is framed as an attempt to sabotage dialogue.
We have somehow adapted to this upside-down world of Russian lies and manipulations. But the weak response from democratic countries remains baffling.
On the eve of the NATO summit, there is a string of statements suggesting that the Kremlin will want to test the Alliance’s resilience. Maybe in about five years. Really?!
The head of German intelligence publicly suspected that Russia doubts NATO countries’ readiness to fulfill their alliance obligations. But the US swears loyalty! It’s curious where the Russians get such absurd suspicions...
In recent months, conversations with Baltic colleagues increasingly end with their question: “You won’t abandon us, will you?” At first, it sounded like a slightly nervous joke. But not anymore. They don’t trust the Poles at all. They see no chance of survival without Ukrainian help.
NATO and Europe as a whole face a choice.
Either demonstrate true unity by providing adequate support to Ukraine and reducing risks for themselves,
Or learn firsthand how different Alliance members, where decisions are made by consensus, interpret Article 5. And this will happen much sooner than in five years.
