Putin’s Recent Silence Is Worrying
The guy on the right has been deafeningly silent about recent actions by the guy on the left.
Photographers: Jim Watson, Emmanuel Dunand/AFP/Getty Images
One of the more extraordinary aspects of this turbulent start to 2026 has been the near silence over American adventurism from Russian President Vladimir Putin. This is a man never previously shy to accuse the US of being imperialist, decadent, deceitful or hypocritical, and his restraint is telling. It should concern both Ukraine and Europe.
The first opportunity came when US aircraft broke into Venezuelan airspace, dropped special forces into the heart of the capital and abducted President Nicolas Maduro, a Moscow ally, nominally protected by Russian S-300 air-defense batteries and bodyguards from another Russian ally, Cuba. The S-300s weren’t working, the Cubans were killed — and Putin said nothing.