> The answer to 'why now' is COVID. People in the west are already worn-out by the pandemic and are in no mood to engage in a new conflict. That may have been

> The answer to 'why now' is COVID. People in the west are already worn-out by the pandemic and are in no mood to engage in a new conflict. That may have been what Putin thought but it seems like a terrible misunderstanding of western resolve on his part.