The fact that on the fourth day of his war Putin felt compelled to repeat the nuclear threat towards NATO indicates that he feels under massive pressure.
It is striking that he justified the "particular readiness to fight" of the Russian deterrent forces with the economic measures taken by the West.
The sanctions are evidently starting to take effect, and it cannot be ruled out that Putin did not expect such a harsh response.
One still remembers the talk in Moscow that the West would ask for talks again.
NATO also has nuclear weapons
Putin's nuclear fire game is even more irresponsible than his war of aggression in Ukraine.
Nevertheless, one should keep a cool head in the West.
Nuclear weapons are also part of NATO's deterrence, so there is still no reason to accept Russian aggression in Ukraine.
In the sanctions package from the weekend, the measures against the central bank are likely to have the greatest importance.
If this can prevent Putin from using the considerable Russian foreign exchange reserves as a war chest, then a lot would be gained.
The overall picture shows that Putin and his courtiers will soon lose significant parts of their business and life model.
However, it will ultimately come down to oil and gas trading.
Only when the West pulls back noticeably will Putin lose the money for his military machine.
It won't happen overnight, but it's now essential.
The military situation is difficult to assess from the outside.
However, the Kremlin's willingness to negotiate matched the reports of Russian difficulties during the advance.
It is understandable that the Ukrainians did not want to speak directly in Belarus, on the territory of Putin's accomplices.
Western arms shipments put them in a stronger position.
They do nothing to change the fact that Russia remains the dominant war party.