It’s always Shark Week in Putin’s world. That doesn’t bode well for Trump’s Ukraine peace hopes

Russian President Vladimir Putin's recent visit to Kyrgyzstan at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit drew attention to his geopolitical outlook. Alongside other leaders like Xi Jinping of China, Narendra Modi of India, and Masoud Pezeshkian of Iran, Putin seemed at ease in his usual role as a competitor among nations. During a press conference, he reiterated Russia's Darwinian survival stance and likened the West to "sharks" intent on consuming other powers.

This analogy reflected his tough stance on the ongoing war in Ukraine, where Russian forces have been heavily deploying drones and missiles against Ukrainian cities. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky cautioned that Russian airspace would effectively become inaccessible due to Ukrainian drone presence, a claim Putin dismissed as a call for state-sponsored terrorism.

He dismissed calls for negotiations, insisting that discussions are off the table when dealing with terrorists.