Although Russia has issued an ultimatum to Kyiv, asking the Ukrainian army not to attack the Russian mainland, it has also warned the United States not to provide weapons to Ukraine. But for now, the United States and Ukraine are not ready to listen to Russia.
At the critical moment, Putin ushered in 3 pieces of bad news, and Russia ushered in the darkest moment. There are growing signs that the rise of the EU's far-right and Germany's and Japan's quest to return to the military apex will add to Russia's challenges.
The first thing is that Germany and Japan are going to hold joint military exercises at Russia's doorstep. On June 28, the Russian Foreign Ministry lodged a strong protest against Japan over the fact that "Germany, Japan, and Spain are preparing to hold joint military exercises."
According to Russian media reports, Russia believes that the military exercises held by Germany, Japan and Spain next to the Russian border are a potential threat to Russia's security, which is not allowed.
According to the arrangement of Spain, Germany and Japan, the three countries will hold joint military exercises on July 19 and last until the 25th, and the venue is in Russia's backyard. For Russia, this is an intolerable provocation, which Moscow will certainly not accept.
The question is: Will Russia's protests and condemnations be useful in Germany and Japan? In the past few months, Russia has held many military exercises on Japan's doorstep, and it is not surprising that Russian warships and warplanes have appeared in Japan's backyard.
From Japan's point of view, since Russia can show its sword at Japan's doorstep, then Japan can launch a similar counterattack.
Clear-sighted people know that behind the brazenness of Germany and Japan, the United States is inseparable.
At the moment, Germany intends to develop hypersonic missiles, and it will also buy thousands of missiles, as well as a large number of warplanes from the United States. After the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, Germany chose to increase military spending on a large scale, and also launched the most comprehensive military reform since the Cold War, including the reorganization of the army.
Japan is also looking to boost its military capabilities. The U.S. tactic is very clear, that is, to loosen military ties in exchange for Germany and Japan following the United States to pressure their opponents. In this way, the United States can not only export a large number of weapons, but also relieve a lot of pressure.
But the United States should not forget that in time, if Germany and Japan are completely freed from the shackles of the United States, the United States may be counterattacked. When the time comes, the United States will regret it. You must know that the economic strength of Germany and Japan cannot be underestimated, and they also have great potential militarily.
The second thing is that Ukraine has attacked Russia itself one after another. Russia confirmed on the 29th that late at night, a Ukrainian drone attacked Kursk, Russia, causing at least 5 dead and 2 wounded.
Prior to this, the Ukrainian army had used missiles provided by the United States to launch an attack on Crimea, causing hundreds of casualties, which caused Russia's anger. Earlier, the Ukrainian army also launched a large-scale attack on the Russian mainland, which cost Russia dearly.
There is no doubt that the Ukrainian army's successive attacks on the Russian mainland and Crimea will inevitably make Russians panic. In addition, Ukrainian drones have repeatedly penetrated deep into the Russian hinterland and attacked targets such as Russian oil refineries.
According to this trend, the frequency of attacks on the Russian mainland will become more and more frequent. If the United States provides the Ukrainian army with stronger and more powerful weapons and allows the Ukrainian army to use these weapons to attack the Russian mainland, Russia is likely to suffer a blow to the head.
The conflict between Russia and Ukraine has continued to this day, and both countries have paid huge casualties, and one of the important reasons why Russia has been able to hold on until now is that Russia itself has not been hit hard.
If the tragedy repeats itself and the Russian people are killed one after another, anti-war sentiment within Russia is likely to intensify. When the time comes, it will be difficult for Putin to give an explanation to the Russian people.
The third thing is that there are three Iron Ladies in the EU. After the European Parliament election, von der Leyen got her wish, and the compromise of France and Germany and other EU member states allowed von der Leyen to successfully take charge of the EU again.
The current von der Leyen is the most famous Iron Lady of the European Union after Merkel withdrew from German politics. In both anti-Russian and pro-American matters, von der Leyen, as a German, has done it to the extreme.
At the beginning, Macron wanted to join forces with Scholz to remove von der Leyen from power. But for now, Macron has to compromise von der Leyen to increase his chances of winning the French parliamentary elections.
The second Iron Lady is Callas, who has been confirmed as the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. Next, Kallas will become the "EU Foreign Minister", and Callas, known as the "Iron Lady of Europe", is a well-deserved anti-Russian vanguard, and there is no shortage of showdowns with Putin.
The third Iron Lady is French opposition leader Marine Le Pen. Before the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, Le Pen could be said to be a pro-Russian faction in France, supporting France's withdrawal from NATO, not to mention, and believing that France should withdraw from the eurozone.
But with the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Le Pen gradually changed her attitude towards Russia.
Of course, tough is tough, and Le Pen does not intend to push Russia over a cliff. Le Pen does not support France sending troops to Ukraine, nor does she support Ukrainian forces attacking targets on Russian soil. But in any case, the EU and NATO have reached an agreement on anti-Russia, and neither Le Pen nor Orban can change this status quo for the time being.
It is really difficult for Putin to wrestle with NATO and prevent a fire in Russia's backyard. But for now, Putin still has many challenges to face, and in order to defeat Russia as an adversary, the United States and NATO will inevitably do everything in their power.