Putin shows no sign of stopping the war as Russia doubles down on Ukraine

The Russian stance holds that the fighting in Ukraine amounts to a European war tied to Russia, a narrative that overlooks the fact that in 2022 the Kremlin launched a full‑scale invasion of Ukraine and that Moscow continues to wage war there. How far would Russia go to cut European backing for Kyiv? Some speculate whether Moscow is preparing to spark a wider conflict in Europe involving a NATO member. That seems unlikely. After more than four‑and‑a‑half years of fighting, Russian forces have still not captured the whole of Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region, which sits right on Russia’s border. While defeating Europe may not be the objective, destabilising it to