The U.S. is About to Fall into Putin’s Trap

Putin cannot lose to Ukraine.

He will not lose to Ukraine.

But he wouldn’t mind losing to the U.S.

It doesn’t take a room full of CIA experts to realize that Putin is losing this war. It’s nearly impossible for Putin to save face at this point.

His inability to crush Ukraine, perceived in Russia as an inferior nation, has already caused Putin to lose prestige at home and abroad.

So, what does Putin do?

The Russian public realizes that the U.S. is far more powerful — both militarily and economically — than Russia.

If Putin can goad the United States into a conventional retaliation, even one that kills a large number of Russian troops, Putin can withdraw his soldiers from Ukraine and strengthen his position in Moscow by saying he lost to the U.S.

Putin has even told his close aides that 500,000 dead Russian soldiers are “acceptable.”

Note: I usually don’t share links from the Mirror, a UK tabloid, but their source in this instance is reputable.

How, then, does Putin achieve pulling the U.S. into a conventional shooting war with Russia, without triggering a full-scale nuclear war?

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has already set his foot halfway into Putin’s trap. Speaking to 60 minutes, Blinken says that Russia deploying nuclear weapons would have “catastrophic effects,” and the…