 The West's failure to send weapons to Ukraine puts Putin on the path to victory, Politico. If the situation at the front does not change soon, then Ukraine in its current form may remain a thing of the past, writes Politico. It is noted that Ukraine's forces are running out of ammunition. Western delays over sending aid mean the country is dangerously short of something even harder to supply than shells. The fighting spirit required to win. The Ukrainian military privately acknowledges that more casualties are inevitable this summer. The only question is how serious they will be. After all, Vladimir Putin has perhaps never been so close to his goal, the publication notes. As Politico points out, for a war of this magnitude, the scale of Western leaders' efforts to help Kiev falls far short of their rapid fire rhetoric. And it looks increasingly like Putin's bet that he can crush Ukrainian resistance and Western support may be paying off. Increasingly, it looks as if Putin's bet that he can grind down Ukrainian resistance and Western support may pay off. Without a major step change in the supply of advanced Western weapons and cash, Ukraine won't be able to liberate the territories Putin's forces now hold. That will leave Putin free to gnaw on the wounded country in the months or years ahead. Even if Russia can't finish Ukraine off, a partial victory will leave Kiev's hopes of joining the EU and NATO stuck in limbo. The ramifications of such an outcome will be serious for the world. Putin will claim victory at home and emboldened by exposing Western weaknesses. He may reinvigorate his wider imperial ambitions abroad. Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia are especially fearful. They are neck on his hit list. China already an increasingly reliable partner for Moscow will see few reasons to alter its stance, Politico says. Several senior officers who spoke on condition of anonymity painted a grim forecast that the front line could collapse this summer as Russia launches its expected offensive. Perhaps worse, they expressed fears that Ukraine's own resolve could be weakened as morale in the military was undermined by desperate shortages of supplies. Czechia has signed contracts to supply 180,000 artillery rounds for Ukraine within the framework of its initiative and is currently working on acquiring 300,000 more. Peter Fiella, prime minister of Czechia, said this in his column for financial times ahead of his visit to Washington. The situation in Ukraine is critical. As the war enters its third year, the country's armed forces are under unprecedented pressure. They are running out of ammunition, meaning they are forced to make difficult decisions every day. This makes it extremely hard to hold their lines, the very lines that will decide the security and future of the whole of Europe, he added. Fiella stated that the reason for the success of the Czech initiative of seeking ammunition for Ukraine is deceptively simple. We are working to secure a further 300,000 rounds and have already contracted the first 180,000. These will be delivered to the Ukrainian front in the coming months, Fiella reported. The Czech prime minister indicated that about 20 countries, including Denmark and the Netherlands, had joined the initiative. The Fiella added that the Czech initiative also gives the West time to accommodate to the new situation in which war is changing our world. This means we can no longer avoid fundamental changes at home, such as strengthening societal resilience and rebuilding sufficient defense capacity. We need to get used to the fact that a responsible security policy must include much greater investment in defense to deter attackers. Russian Empire should grow to encompass three U.S. states, Finland, Poland, Russian political scientists. In a recent appearance on Russia's state-run television, Russian political scientist Sergei Mikheyev suggested that the country's empire should grow to encompass three American states. According to Newsweek, the clip of the remarks began to circulate on social media when it was shared by Anton Gerashchenko, an outspoken critic of Russia and a former advisor to Ukraine's Minister of Internal Affairs to ex. In it, Mikheyev mentioned the territory he would like to see taken over by Russia, including three of the westernmost American states and two North Atlantic Treaty Organization member nations in Europe. I want to see the Russian Empire with Alaska, Hawaii, California, Finland and Poland, he said, as translated by Gerashchenko for the clip he shared. Although Poland and Finland are so stinky, I'm not sure, to be honest. We'll clean them. Near the end of the clip, the host of the program was quick to deflate Mikheyev's comment as wishful thinking divorced from actual politics. Yes, but again, wishful thinking is one thing and actual politics is another, the host said. Gerashchenko, meanwhile, was less keen to write off the political scientist's comments as fantasy. Russian propagandists dream about the new world order Gerashchenko wrote. And you know what? They mean it. The territory now known as Alaska was colonized by Russia prior to its purchase by the United States in 1867 for the modern equivalent of around $152 million in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and its heightened rhetoric about attempting to annex other countries and territories. Suggestions about retaking Alaska from the US have become prevalent. In a December post to social media, also translated by Gerashchenko, Russian lawmaker Sergei Mironov suggested that US oversight was weakening and alluded to Alaska while discussing land that could be taken from it. Did you want a new world order? Here we go, he wrote. Venezuela is annexing its 24th state, Guyana Esaquibo. This is happening right under the nose of the once great Hegemon USA. All that's left is for Mexico to take back Texas and the rest of the territories. It's time for Americans to think about their future and also about Alaska.