Posted on 11/13/2021 9:09:22 AM PST by Starboard
Retired Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, who led U.S. Army Europe until 2017, said he believes Russia's actions over the last year, including the troop buildup along the Ukrainian border in March and alleged involvement in fostering a migrant crisis at the Polish-Belarusian border, are strategic in nature.
"This is part of an ongoing process to undermine Ukrainian government, to present Ukraine to the West as a failed state so that there is no further effort to integrate Ukraine into the West, into the EU ... or NATO," Hodges said.
Russia is being further emboldened by the European Union's failure to apply more political pressure on Moscow, he said.
"If Putin is confident that the West would not actually do anything if they pushed their forces further into Ukraine to take over more actual territory, I think they would do it," said Hodges, adding that allies are in position to create a deterrent.
One factor that complicates security matters is Europe's dependence on Russian gas pipelines to heat homes in the winter, giving Moscow significant leverage on issues such as sanctions.
In the event of a winter offensive, allied resolve would be tested by the reality that Russia "has it over a barrel" on energy, Kofman said.
(Excerpt) Read more at military.com ...
Putin needs lead poisoning...lol
Agree. Biden and Putin are side by side.
Their president Zelensky is a corrupt dope.
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We have one too.
They would increase their control of the flow of Europe’s oil.
Exactly. Europe is now heavily dependent on Russia for energy. As far as Ukraine is concerned they are not going to bite the hand that feeds them. They allowed Putin to checkmate them.
EU just goes along with US’ NATO game because of economics and military aid considerations.
My only child (a son) is in the Air Force. He has been deployed many times to the world’s s**tholes. He knows if he goes again and things go sideways, there will be no help coming. An American serviceman should not feel that way. My family has served for generations, since the beginning in fact. What they all did does not deserve this end.
I liked it when Tucker asked him many of times why Ukraine borders were more important than our own. This turd was such a smartazz.
It was a profound question, and one that deserved a serious factual response. After all, it is asking our service members to go into harm’s way with a very real possibility of suffering casualties. Instead, all Turner did was dance around it in a flippant manner.
It was nauseating, especially during the week we celebrate Veterans Day.
Our many dubious military adventures abroad provide plenty of reasons to question the real need for never ending deployments. Our politicians always seem anxious to put other peoples’ children in harm’s way.
Just saying. As a veteran.
“”If Putin is confident that the West would not actually do anything if they pushed their forces further into Ukraine to take over more actual territory, I think they would do it,”
The general is stupid.
Russia could swallow all of Ukraine and the west would do nothing. Because the west has no strategic interests there, and the US has NO interests there at all.
During Mass I pray for those serving. Now more than ever. I’ll remember him especially.
Because the west has no strategic interests there, and the US has NO interests there at all.
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The western elites have “vital” financial interests in Ukraine they want to protect. Someone has to fight to defend their investments. /sarc
If Ukraine was smart...it would annex Crimea and the other area back to Russia. There’s a lot of people in Ukraine who think they were better off being under Russia’s wing.
Says it all.
Lol, sure and then Putin would allow the rest of Ukraine to be free, maybe join NATO?
Wish we had Trump now. He kept Putin in his place.
What is Biden going to do if Russia goes for Ukraine at the same time China goes for Taiwan?
The whole world knows that Resident Biden is incompetent.
Ours is worse. Farting on the Duchess of Cambridge, really!
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