Aggressor Putin will end up the big loser in this war

Right at the start of the war in Ukraine, I said two things. The one was that Russian president Vladimir Putin put Nato in check-mate. He knew that Nato would not risk a world war by defending Ukraine that is not a member of Nato. The other thing I said was that Russia may win the battle, but had already lost the war.

These two statements are still valid. Ukraine astonished the world and Putin by their brave resistance and patriotism. Putin has already been humiliated, he is a skunk on the world stage, his economy is crumbling and resistance is building up in Russia against the war.

Putin now follows a policy of scorched earth. He is clearly willing to wipe the Ukrainian state and people off the map. As far as power blocs are concerned, Nato and its allies are united and stronger than ever before.

The other power bloc is China and Russia, with China now the undisputed senior partner. Russia is the big loser in this scenario. This repositioning in the power blocs may hold advantages for world peace. The two blocs now know exactly where they stand with each other, while Russia would not be in a position within the foreseeable future to continue with its territorial ambitions.

Dawie Jacobs, Sterrewag, Pretoria