Putins scary moves arent the start of World War III theyre acts of desperation before Trump takes office, experts say

WASHINGTON — On the surface, it’s hard not to see visions of World War III in Russian’s recent threats and provocations against the West.On Thursday, the Kremlin hit Ukraine with a new type of ballistic missile — and then threatened that it could test the rockets against Western countries that supply missiles to Ukraine for against in Russia — i.e., the United States.Two days earlier, President Vladimir Putin announced that Russian policy now allows it to use nuclear weapons to retaliate against nations who strike Russia with conventional weapons — including the US-made ATACMS missiles that President Biden agreed to let Ukraine fire into Russia.

To top it off, Ukraine’s former military chief, Valery Zaluzhny told an audience, “I believe that in 2024 we can absolutely believe that the Third World War has begun.”But far from being on the brink of global armageddon, experts tell The Post these moves amount to the same old irresponsible nuclear saber-rattling Putin has long been known for.More to the point, they show that the Russian dictator is becoming increasingly desperate in the lead-up to President-elect Donald Trump’s second term.“It’s certainly signaling to the west.I think the Russians are obviously concerned that we’ve allowed Ukraine this need permission to strike in Russia with Western missiles,” Foundation for Defending Democracy’s Russia program director John Hardie told The Post.

“I think in general, they are trying to cow the west into dropping its support for Ukraine and sort of letting Russia have its way.”Those fear tactics may have delayed President Biden from taking more decisive action to support Ukraine from the war’s start, but it’s unclear how that tactic might work on Trump, who has a record of not being intimidated and has reportedly signaled support for Ukraine striking deep into Russia, a source told The Post this week.Still, the launch provided new insight into Russia’s weapons development, as it wa...