Putin is not on the hunt for soldiers and weapons – but diplomatic allies

Don’t be distracted by stories on Russia trafficking troops from Cuba or tapping up Kim Jong-un for missiles, writes Mary Dejevksy. Putin is playing a very different game with his latest salvo in the bloody war

The fact that Kim Jong-un is the one travelling abroad suggests that he wants the meeting quite as much, or more, than Putin does (Yuri Kadobnov/Pool Photo via AP)

Attempting to judge the state of a military conflict is invariably a treacherous proposition. This is so almost wherever you stand: geographically, in the combat zone or at many removes, or indeed ethically – 100 per cent aligned with the victim, or inclined towards a longer perspective as to cause and effect.

The difficulties have been compounded in the war between Russia and Ukraine, because the immediate rights and wrongs are so clear, and because – for much of the Western world – the preponderance of the reporting has come from Ukraine.

One of the consequences, I would argue, has been a risky and at times irresponsible view of Ukraine’s progress – based in part on its heroic resistance in the early months – and an even more exaggerated idea of how badly Russia may be doing, based on the clear failure of its initial plan to force regime change in Kyiv, and casualty figures put out by Ukraine.