The Telegraph: NATO Could Easily Show The Kremlin Military Strength

That argument alone is respected in the Kremlin.

Even the most closed-minded politician in all of Europe must realize that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin wants to continue the war. What's more, he likely believes he now has the best chance to take back countries like Estonia. This is according to The Telegraph columnist Hamish de Bretton-Gordon.

According to the author of the piece, it's not hard to understand why Putin feels this way, as US President Donald Trump is hesitant and sending contradictory signals, while NATO has failed to respond properly to the Russian drone incursion in Poland.

"The latest signal of Putin's intentions is the intrusion of MiG-31 fighter jets into NATO airspace over Estonia. The Italian F-35 fighters that flew out to chase away these invaders could have very easily shot down the Russians - the F-35 is the most advanced fighter jet produced today and is a generation ahead of the outdated Cold War-era MiG-31. This would be a demonstration of NATO's military superiority, and that is the kind of firepower that needs to be demonstrated to drive Putin away - it is the only language he understands," Bretton-Gordon emphasized.

According to the expert, NATO could easily show its strength, as the Russian army is almost completely mired in the trenches in the war in Ukraine. As for the recent Zapad 2025 exercises in Belarus, the observer said they were a "joke."

"The Zapad 2022 demonstrations - just before the invasion of Ukraine - showed a much more capable army than the small forces that could be sent from the front this year. The Russians seem to have learned little from the bitter lessons of Ukraine, and the latest "Zapad" force seemed more fit for a parade in Moscow than for war in the 21st century. Russian mercenaries and prisoners are no match for NATO professionals. At least the UK is testing and adjusting its army given the lessons we are learning from the Ukrainians to fight and win on modern battlefields," the publication's author explained.

According to the publication's columnist, everyone along with Trump should be convinced that Putin does not want peace in Ukraine. His ambition is to take over the Baltic states, so if the West does not react in any way, this could indeed happen.

"Military strategy is about acting quickly to penetrate the enemy's thought process. The ancient Chinese general Sun Tzu, author of The Art of War, knew well that the highest level of victory is to subdue the enemy without fighting, and that is what Putin is now doing to NATO, violating its territory and getting no response," Bretton-Gordon emphasized.

The expert said that if Russian planes violate the airspace of NATO countries, the alliance should not be passive. NATO countries should be just as assertive at sea, which would be much easier if part of their fleet is not now on the other side of the world.

"European leaders who are closest to Russia are warning of war, and we should listen to them. Their countries were once part of the Soviet Union, and they know what it is like to live under the iron grip of Russia's secret police. We must not repeat the mistakes of 1939: we must realize that attack, or at least the credible threat of it, is historically and literally the best form of defense. We seem to hope that this is just a bad dream, and if we don't irritate Putin too much, he may decide that enough is enough. This is foolishness. Like Stalin before him, Putin only respects military force. We must demonstrate it before it is too late," The Telegraph columnist concluded.

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