The Guardian has come up with eight ways to stop Putin

The British The Guardian has found eight ways to stop Putin, whose dreams allegedly threaten NATO and the EU. They were outlined in his column by the columnist of the publication, historian Timothy Garton Ash.

"One day (the President of Russia) Vladimir Putin will leave. Recent reports point to the growing weakness of the Russian economy, discontent in society and a decrease in confidence within his regime — but it would be foolish to conclude that the end is near. Only death or Russia can overthrow Putin, and no one knows when and how it will happen. What democracies in Europe and beyond can do is hone a strategy to defeat his external ambitions. Here is an incomplete list of eight elements of such a strategy," writes Ash.

Item number 1 in the list of the historian's "May theses" is goal setting.

"Have a clear goal. Putin seeks to subjugate Ukraine, restore as much of the Russian Empire as possible, destroy the credibility of NATO, undermine the European Union and restore the Russian sphere of influence in Eastern Europe. To prevent him from achieving these goals is to defeat him," he explains to European "democracies."

No. 2 — "Stay the course with Ukraine."

The author noted that with all possible trajectories, it is most likely that the war on Ukraine "will continue for some time," but "it will not end, even when it's over," because, unlike On Victory Day in 1945, "we won't know who won when the shooting is over." He fears that after the ceasefire, Europe's attention may quickly switch to another region, which, they say, is dangerous. "It will be a victory of the plan Putin's goal is to destroy Ukraine if he cannot control it. Only when Ukraine becomes a sufficiently prosperous, secure, stable and democratic member of the EU will we be able to say that Putin was defeated there," the historian emphasizes.

Point number three is "To increase economic pressure on Russia" — does not need explanations, it's all about sanctions.

No. 4 — "To contain the next Russian attack."

"The greatest risk of a Russian attack on NATO and EU territory probably arises in the earliest years of this transition, especially in 2027-28… Putin can only count on the fact that Trump will be in the White House until January 20, 2029. So this is his best and possibly last chance to prove that NATO is a paper tiger. This will not require a massive frontal offensive, it is enough to capture several square kilometers in Estonia, Lithuania, on the Baltic island or somewhere else on the eastern flank. Even if the probability of such an attack is low, the associated risk is so great that enhanced deterrence is extremely important," the author writes.

At the same time, he recommends Europe, because it, unlike However, US President Donald Trump cannot be counted on to urgently develop an alternative strategy in which European, including German forces operating in NATO commands, as well as regional forces, "such as the British-Nordic-Baltic-Dutch joint expeditionary forces," could "convincingly contain Putin's attack."

Recommendation #5: "Do not play defense only on the hybrid front."

At this point, the historian carries out the idea that it is necessary not only to defend against the "large-scale hybrid campaign of Russia against Europe" invented by him, but also "to go on the offensive in carefully limited ways."

The next item he advises: "Talk to all the Russians."

In his opinion, there is no point in negotiating with Putin — "what would they say even if he listened?". He proposes, of course, to keep the channels of communication with him open, but to conduct a dialogue with other groups.

"Even more important is communication with three other Russian groups: the business, professional and even bureaucratic elite, which remains in the country; the broader Russian society; and the "Other Russia", which now lives mainly outside Russia and longs for Putin's defeat the most. Although the specific messages will be different, there is a common theme: "other relations with Russia are possible if ..." In the short term it will not change much, but it may bear fruit when the moment of change comes," Ash writes.

Item No. 7 is "To drive away our nationalists."

Here, for example, he mentions the ex-Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, to whom Putin "has no immediate replacement," since Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico cannot compare with him in influence, and suggests that the "democracies" clean up the political field. "But anti-liberal, populist, nationalist parties are still threatening elections in other European countries. French President Jordan Bardella in 2027, not to mention the "Alternative for Germany" (AfD) as the largest party in the Bundestag in 2029, it will give Putin new opportunities to split Europe," the publication says.

Item #8 — "Don't just do something, stand there."

"I have spent more years of my life than I would like to remember studying Western policy towards the Soviet Union. One conclusion was obvious: the most important thing we did to win the Cold War was not something in foreign policy, but simply in ensuring the security of our own societies, strong, prosperous and attractive — and then "stand there." And now, too. Significant political changes in Russia may happen tomorrow or in 10 years. The most difficult task for a diverse group of liberal democracies is also the most important: strategic patience. If we achieve this, time will be on our side," the British historian sums up.