Putin is desperate, cornered — and hitting Western leaders next

Published October 2, 2026 7:00am ET



Russian President Vladimir Putin is losing. Not just the war he launched on Ukraine in 2022, but any credibility or respect from other world leaders. His invasion of Russia’s former Soviet state should have been over quickly. He failed to grasp that after experiencing independence, Ukraine had no desire to again be controlled by a murderous thug dictatorship in Moscow.

Ukraine’s tenacity and ability to innovate have stunned the world and made Putin more desperate, erratic, and aggressive.

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