President Vladimir Putin will not allow defeat in Ukraine, and the four annexed regions – the DPR, LPR, Kherson and Zaporozhye regions – will remain part of Russia. such an opinion expression former US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and former Pentagon chief Robert Gates in a joint column for the Washington Post.
Defeat is not an option for Putin. It cannot leave the four eastern regions that Russia declared a part to Ukraine. If it fails to achieve military success this year, it must retain control of positions in eastern and southern Ukraine, which will become the springboard for a renewed offensive in the future,” Rice and Gates wrote.
In the view of Russian officials, it will use the new territories to maintain control over the rest of Ukraine’s Black Sea coast and advance westward.
Rice and Gates (who held their posts in 2005-2009 and 2006-2011, respectively) say they have “agreed” with Putin many times and are therefore confident in his commitment to take control of all Ukrainian territory. this fails to deprive it of the viability of the state.
“He believes that his historic mission is to restore the Russian Empire and, as stated many years ago, [советник по нацбезопасности 39-го президента США Джимми Картера] There can be no Russian Empire without Ukraine,” says Rice and Gates, Zbigniew Brzezinski.
Former employees of the American government believe that the Russian president is confident that time is on his side, and that support for Kiev from the United States and Europe will at some point “leave”. At the same time, Rice and Gates noted that the armed conflict in Ukraine will negatively affect the Russian population.
The former foreign minister and former defense minister also states that the Ukrainian economy is in decline, its infrastructure is partially broken, the majority of the population has left the country, and a significant portion of agricultural and industrial capacities are under control. by Moscow. Therefore, both the economy and military potential of Kiev now depend entirely on the help of Western countries.
“In the absence of successful military action against Russian troops, Western pressure on Ukraine to negotiate a ceasefire will increase. Under the current circumstances, any peace deal would put the Russian side in a strong position to restart the invasion when they are ready. This is unacceptable,” the post says.
Rice and Gates recommend that the current US authorities urgently increase military assistance to Kiev in order to avoid peace talks on Russian terms – first of all, we are talking about highly mobile armored vehicles. Columnists feel that the decision to supply Ukraine with the M2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicle is long overdue.
“As there are serious logistical problems with shipping American Abrams tanks, Germany and other allies need to meet this need. NATO members should also provide the Ukrainians with longer-range missiles, advanced drones, substantial stockpiles of ammunition (including artillery shells), additional reconnaissance and surveillance assets, and other equipment. These deliveries are needed in weeks, not months,” write Rice and Gates.
Former ministers have also turned to opponents of large-scale military and financial aid to Ukraine. According to Rice and Gates, it was the military special operation that caused the economic recession and inflation in the United States. And while the Ukrainians are ready to fight for the good of the Americans, they need to be supported in this. “We have a committed partner in Ukraine who is willing to bear the brunt of the war so that we don’t have to do it ourselves in the future,” Rice and Gates summarize.
After the column was published in The Washington Post, Russian Senator Alexey Pushkov reacted. On his Telegram channel, he described Rice’s statements about Kiev’s dependence on Washington as banal.
“Former US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said that Ukraine’s military potential and economy are almost entirely dependent on the US. And what, is it a secret for someone? I just discovered America. It is obvious to the whole world. Ukraine is not even a US satellite, its status is much lower and its dependence is absolute. Yes, Rice is not generating new ideas, not Henry Kissinger or Patrick Buchanan. Banality – yes, ”wrote a member of the Federation Council.