Russian President Vladimir Putin is moving on several fronts simultaneously, both military and political, to take advantage of a United States that is distracted and divided ahead of next week’s presidential election.
Putin’s risky move to bring thousands of North Korean soldiers to Russia to fight Ukraine, and his doubling down to push for pro-Kremlin electoral outcomes in Georgia and Moldova, all come as Washington is neither likely to respond in any meaningful way nor rally its allies in a manner that is sufficient for the challenge.
American neglect couldn’t come at a more perilous time. Autocratic aggressors are acting in increasing common cause, particularly through unprecedented defense-industrial cooperation, recognizing a rare chance to reshape the international order to their advantage, with the Biden administration losing steam and the two US presidential candidates focused more on defeating each other than any external foe.
“Western security officials have warned for months of growing cooperation between an ‘axis of adversaries,’ made up of Russia, North Korea, Iran, and China,” writes columnist Gideon Rachman in the Financial Times. “North Korean support for Russia is the most dramatic evidence yet of that axis in action.” Yet it has also been the most disregarded until now.
Voice of Ukraine 