The Observer view on Russia: Putin’s retaliation against Ukraine must persuade Biden to relent over arms

The huge waves of lethal

on Ukrainian cities last week had three main aims. One was to re-terrorise a civilian population grown accustomed to a certain level of attrition, while targeting energy and other key national infrastructure ahead of winter. Vladimir Putin’s crude message: if we cannot defeat you on the battlefield, we will try to scare, freeze and starve you into submission instead.

Russia’s…