They can’t afford to arm Ukraine themselves, don’t produce enough weapons to arm Ukraine even if they could afford it, won’t send their own soldiers to fight, don’t want to admit defeat, are determined to “win” by not even speaking to Putin ever, but also desperately need the war to end.

They are stuck in magical thinking where Russia just collapses under the weight of their diplomatic snubs, and the war ends because THEY are ready for it to end now. They can’t lower themselves enough to even think of discussing it with “that man.”

And so they attack and insult people willing to simply call Putin.

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/27/world...-call.html