It appears that Nato’s preferred outcome is a Russia that is militarily victorious but economically crippled. I cannot imagine a more frightening combination.
The outcome we all seem reluctant to discuss is the only non-catastrophic one: that Putin will be removed by internal forces.
Both common sense and history dictate that this will happen eventually. Even Robert Mugabe was finally ousted. The question is when and how. Our leaders need to take this into account when making their decisions in the coming days. Abandoning Ukraine to destruction only makes Putin harder to remove.
Jeremy Smith
Professor of border and Russian studies, University of Eastern Finland
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