A visual shock again, this Monday morning in newsstands. With images that we have been seeing for a few days now, but which are still difficult to get used to. The scars of the ongoing Russian offensive in Ukraine: disfigured streets in Kiev, Kharkiv and other cities, burned vehicles, badly damaged buildings… And there are, to catch the eye in the Also on newsstands this morning, this One entirely blue and yellow, colors of the Ukrainian flag. This is Release who delivers it, we can read: Faced with Putin, the commotion “. Because, ” for the first time the European Union is going to supply arms to the Ukrainians. “A historic decision ” according to Freed for whom Europe enter the world after “, for “counter a limitless Putin who brandished the nuclear threat “.
A nuclear threat to be taken seriously
” Putin brandishes the nuclear threat », these are also the words to read on the front page of the Parisian Today In France. She shows us a cold and determined Putin, The Parisian speaks to us of a nuclear blackmail to be taken very seriously “. ” This is at least the third time that [le chef du Kremlin] raises the specter of the supreme weapon “, underlines the newspaper. The first time, “it was in Moscow, in the presence of Emmanuel Macron, expressly targeting France “, he reminds us. So ” Bluff or real risk? » wonders The Parisian. In any case, it is certain: the nature of the war has just changed “, replies a few lines later General Vincent Desportes, former director of the School of War. ” The threat of a war with a nuclear component should not be taken lightly “, he analyzes.
A war that can go on
Especially in the face of an increasingly isolated Vladimir Putin, and whose army seems to be somewhat bogged down. So much so that the editorial of Figaro asks himself : “Did the Tsar underestimate his adversaries ? “. ” It was to be a blitzkrieg, to the point of not even deserving the name, a “special military operation” about which it would be superfluous to inform the public in Russia “, quips Le Figaro. “But now, on the fourth day of the scenario, “the perspective is changing: The Ukrainian army and the population itself refuse to lie down before the invader. And young President Zelensky, who went from “Dancing with the Stars” glitter to combat fatigues, embodies the reality of this conflict. » believes again Le Figaro. No, ” the invasion of Ukraine is not the unfortunate hostile takeover of a brother country, it is a matter of life and death for a nation that refuses to be enslaved by a foreign dictator. »
Preparing Western opinions
It is therefore a long war that seems to be taking shape, and we must be prepared for it. This is ” the price of democracy », warns The cross. ” We took too long to understand that we were with Russia facing a “rogue state” or, as the English say more colorfully a “rogue state”, rogue designating the solitary mammal, often an old male, who has left the herd and became aggressive “. We’ve taken too long to figure it out, so believe The crosscorn ” we must – finally” be collectively lucid: there will be no possible compromise on Ukraine “. And that is why, according to the Catholic daily, ” we must rejoice at the high level of sanctions adopted this weekend by the Europeans and the Americans “. Although these measures will not be without consequences for Europeans » in terms of employment and purchasing power. Western leaders must prepare their opinions for a harsh conflict, the repercussions of which will be felt in daily life. It’s true, confirm The worldwe’ll have to ” bear the cost of sanctions “, corn ” the time has come for Europe’s political leaders to clearly face the price of solidarity and prepare public opinion for it “, can we read. Because ” to shrink from the cost of sanctions today would be to expose oneself to having to pay an infinitely heavier price if Vladimir Putin achieves his goal in Ukraine”.
FIFA under pressure
However, Westerners seem ready to assume, sanctions are raining down everywhere. So much so that, for once, we are talking about geopolitics in The Team. FIFA, the International Football Federation announced yesterday that Russia would play their home matches on neutral ground “, but the international body is ” summit of alley further “. Several federations push for stronger measures “, reports the sports daily. We already know that Uefa has chosen to relocate the Champions League final, scheduled for May in Saint Petersburg, at the Stade de France. When it affects football, the situation becomes really serious…