in the face of Volodymyr Zelensky’s European trip, Russia deploys its rhetoric

The Kremlin is using Volodymyr Zelensky’s trip to Europe and the prospect of possible fighter jet deliveries to denounce the growing involvement of European countries. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov even claimed that the line between indirect and direct involvement was disappearing.

The narrative of a Russia facing all the West

This is first of all rhetoric. On the ground, there is no western army with western soldiers fighting Russian soldiers. But this feeds the narrative of a Russia that would have to face the whole West. It’s useful internally to justify the war, to explain why Russia doesn’t have the upper hand. On the other hand, the Russians say that this Western military aid is useless and only prolongs the conflict. According to them, there would be only one way out: the victory of Russia, specifies the journalist of France Télévisions, Luc Lacroix, live from Moscow (Russia).