Sound familiar? It should . . . because we were all subjected to that form of parenting early in our lives. They could have wine or bourbon, but we couldn’t. They could smoke, but it wasn’t good for us. They could use “cuss words” that were inappropriate for a child.

They could stay up late, see movies that we couldn’t, wear makeup, light matches, talk to strangers — all those exciting things that would magically become available to us when we were older.

It just wasn’t fair. But when the time came, and we were finally “old enough,” we realized that they were right — all of that stuff was bad for kids. And so we did the same to our children. In effect, we were telling them to do as we said, not as we did.

And that’s fine . . . for parents and children. But for countries? Well, not so much.

The problem is, no one has ever made that clear to Vladimir Putin.

How often have we heard from Putin and his minions that threat — sometimes subtle, sometimes more direct — of Russia’s ability and readiness to use their substantial supply of nuclear weapons to “defend” their country’s sovereignty against enemy attack (real or imagined)? He has even gone so far as to amend the nation’s protocol as to when such weapons might be used, including against non-nuclear nations if they are supported by nuclear nations.

But one word from Ukraine’s President Zelensky on the same subject, and Putin is . . . not to be funny . . . up in arms.

Referring to the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, in which the United States, Russia and the United Kingdom — in order to win Ukraine’s agreement to return the nuclear arsenal it had “inherited” from Russia at the time of the breakup of the Soviet Union and to accede to the Treaty on the Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons — pledged to respect Ukraine’s territorial integrity and the inviolability of its borders, and to refrain from the use or threat of military force.

Well, it took Russia only 20 years to blow off its commitments when it invaded and annexed Ukraine’s Crimean territory in 2014. And let us not overlook the invasion of February 2022 — the so-called “special military operation” that continues to this day and has created, according to one estimate, as many as one million total casualties, dead and wounded combined, on both sides. [Bojan Pancevski, Wall Street Journal, September 17, 2024.]

Did Vladimir Putin not think that the Ukrainian people would defend themselves and their country? Did he truly believe they would simply shrink back and allow Russia to stake its claim to their sovereign territory once again? Actually, yes — that is what he said would happen: that the people of Eastern Ukraine would cheer the arrival of his troops and the reinstatement of his Soviet-style rule.

And when they didn’t — when they fought back, and Ukraine’s allied Western countries eagerly gave their support — Putin labeled that as aggression by the West. And when the battle dragged on into its third year, he began to play the nuclear card more forcefully.

And the West wasn’t supposed to consider that as aggression, because he said it was to “protect the sovereignty” of Russia.

A classic example of “Do as I say, not as I do.”

So we have two countries standing toe-to-toe on a massive red line, and neither will give in to the other’s demands. Russia thinks it should be allowed to keep the territory it has stolen and forcefully occupied up to this time, including Crimea; whereas Ukraine, for some reason Putin just can’t seem to fathom, says it has a right to retain its sovereign lands. Ukraine has also made a bid to join NATO for its future protection; but Putin — who seems to suffer from acute paranoia with regard to the number of NATO countries on or near his borders — says that is unacceptable.

So on Thursday, speaking at the EU’s European Council summit in Brussels, President Zelensky suggested that if Ukraine were unable to join NATO, it would instead seek nuclear weapons. Referencing the 30-year-old Budapest Memorandum — which, remember, Russia has already breached — Zelensky said:

“Who gave up nuclear weapons? All of them? No. Ukraine. Who is fighting today? Ukraine. Either Ukraine will have nuclear weapons and that will be our protection or we should have some sort of alliance. Apart from NATO, today we do not know any effective alliances.” [Rebecca Rommen, Insider, October 19, 2024.]

Putin’s response on Friday was short and to the point:

“Any step in this direction will meet an adequate response. Under no circumstances will Russia allow this to happen.” [Id.]

Spoken like a true dictator.

Later, in a joint press conference with NATO chief Mark Rutte, Zelensky attempted to clarify that his statement was not intended as a threat:

“We never spoke about that we are preparing to create nuclear weapon or something like this. We don’t do nuclear weapon. Please, don’t move these messages.” [Id.]

Zelensky is not Putin — he does not toss empty threats around in order to intimidate. Reading his words, I sense his frustration, exhaustion, fear for his country, desperation for a solution, even righteous anger — but not a Putin-style “Piss me off and I’ll nuke you” threat. But that is how Putin chooses to interpret it, because he can then turn it to his advantage by labeling it as aggression calling for a nuclear response.

“Do as I say, not as I do.“

But a conscienceless, narcissistic despot wouldn’t know how to behave otherwise.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
10/20/24