THE SQUIZ

Russian President Vladimir Putin is talking tough against the West, warning any country that intervenes in the Ukraine war will face a “lightning-fast” response. Ukraine’s allies have made significant commitments to supply of weapons and military aid this week. In response, Putin hinted at Russia’s arsenal of ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons, saying: “We have all the tools no one can boast of … we will use them if necessary.” 

WHAT THAT ABOUT?

It came after Western nations held a summit in Germany with the host nation commiting 50 anti-aircraft tanks to the front line. Overnight, US President Joe Biden said he would ask Congress to approve giving $33 billion to help the Ukrainians fight Russia’s invasion, including $20 billion in military assistance. And the UK’s Foreign Secretary Liz Truss joined the chorus of support saying victory for Ukraine was now a “strategic imperative” for the West. Reports say Russia’s new offensive in the country’s eastern Donbas region isn’t going to plan either, with local troops still standing in the battered city of Mariupol. And as Putin ramped up the rhetoric, gas giant company Gazprom cut supplies to Poland and Bulgaria in what European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen described as “an instrument of blackmail”. 

SO THINGS REMAIN BAD… 

They do. And as the war continues, human rights lawyer Amal Clooney has urged countries to focus on international justice for war crimes committed by Russian troops. She addressed an informal United Nations Security Council meeting yesterday and called for evidence of war crimes to be collected and properly stored for future prosecutions before the International Criminal Court. “Ukraine is, today, a slaughterhouse. Right in the heart of Europe,” she said. President Zelensky continues with his virtual tour of diplomacy with foreign leaders, tweeting yesterday that the Indonesian President Joko Widodo has invited him to the G20 Summit in Bali in October. He didn’t confirm if he’d accepted the invitation, but it sets up a possible showdown with Putin who says he intents on being there.