According to retired US Army Lieutenant General Ben Hodges, a clear US political position is necessary for Ukraine to win the criminal war unleashed by Russia.
What should allies do for Ukraine's victory in the war
Hodges noted that he remains deeply disappointed by the policy of Western partners regarding the criminal war unleashed by Russia and aid to Ukraine.
According to him, US President Joe Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz should publicly declare that they want the victory of Ukraine, and then develop a political plan and provide appropriate support to Kyiv.
These statements that "we are with you as long as necessary" do not mean anything to me,” said Hodges.
According to him, Ukraine currently has an urgent need for air defence and missile defence systems that would help protect critical infrastructure facilities and civilians from attacks by the criminal army of the Russian Federation.
In addition, Hodges emphasised, Ukraine also needs long-range weapons to destroy the logistics of the occupying army, enemy artillery and command headquarters.
The retired lieutenant general emphasised that the aggressor country should suffer as many powerful blows as possible, which would demoralise and undermine the Russian occupiers' campaign of aerial terror in Ukraine.
Why the US refuses to allow Ukraine to use US weapons to attack Russian territories
At the same time, the position of the White House regarding the use of American weapons in Ukraine for strikes on strategic objects on the territory of Russia remains unchanged.
This is very disappointing to me. I believe that this is a terrible policy, and, of course, Ukraine should ignore it, strike targets where necessary,” Godges emphasised.
He believes that the administration of President Joe Biden in this way is probably trying to prevent further escalation, but there is a possibility of error.
Hodges adds that such a policy indicates that the White House does not fully understand how Ukraine should win this war.
In addition, the retired lieutenant general of the US Army stressed that too many people in President Joe Biden's administration are afraid that Russia will use nuclear weapons.
We can somehow counter this narrative or the belief that an American weapon used by Ukraine to strike Russian territory will cause an escalation from the aggressor country. This is a complete misunderstanding of what Russia is ready to do. We have to stop being afraid of it and restrain ourselves,” said Hodges.
The retired US lieutenant general is convinced that Ukrainians have a better understanding than foreign countries of how Russia can use, for example, tactical nuclear weapons.
According to Hodges, the Russian authorities are not ready for a nuclear strike, because it is not profitable even for Russia itself.
Russia's only benefit from nuclear weapons is the threat of their use. It sees how we hesitate and restrain ourselves because of this. Of course, I could be wrong. The Russians clearly don't care how many innocent people they kill, including their own,” the former US soldier stressed.
