Putin raises the stakes of rejecting peace deal

The vision of a never-ending war is disconcerting for many elite groups in Russia. The resignation of Dmitri Kozak, one of Putin’s most loyal administrators since  the early 1990s, is one sign of this discontent (The Moscow Times, September 19). The majority of the vast bureaucracy of Putin’s regime finds few benefits in perpetuating the war, while few of its beneficiaries belong to Putin’s shrinking circles of trusted courtiers. Nobody among them would dare to hint to the boss that offending Trump by turning down the offer of a compromise deal was a mistake, but they cannot hide the apparent narrowing of available options. The pattern of progressing from one blunder to another is typical for mature autocracies, and Putin has long abandoned the habit of pragmatic measuring of costs and benefits. He finds it necessary to show readiness to play with risks deemed irrationally high by Russia’s European neighbors, expecting to find disarray. Instead, his actions are compelling them to bolster their resolve.