Former commander of US Army Forces in Europe, General Ben Hodges, warned that a Russian invasion of NATO would be a disaster for the Russian dictator, as the Alliance countries would strike devastating blows at the enemy's military bases, including in Kaliningrad and Sevastopol.
Points of attention
- The General emphasizes that direct comparisons between previous conflicts and a potential NATO-Russia war are inappropriate, signaling the seriousness of the situation.
- Hodges points out the dependency of Western countries on Russian oil and gas supplies as a hindrance to effective deterrence and stresses the importance of taking a firm stance against Russian aggression.
Hodges issued a warning to the Kremlin
According to the general, Putin should not expect his potential war against NATO to be similar to the long-running war against Ukraine.
Hodges made it clear: if Russia attacked Poland in 2025, just as it attacked Ukraine, it would be destroyed by NATO air forces and Alliance ground forces.
You can be sure: Kaliningrad will be destroyed in the first hours. In the first hours, Kaliningrad is gone; all Russian facilities are destroyed. Any Russian military facilities in Sevastopol are also destroyed. So direct comparisons are inappropriate here.
Ben Hodges
Former Commander of US Army Europe
According to him, 11 years ago when the war began, Europe, the United States, and Canada generally supported Ukraine.
However, one cannot ignore the fact that they were too dependent on Russia for oil and gas supplies.
"We failed to make it clear back then, back in 2014, that Russian aggression would not go unpunished. Even the Minsk agreements turned out to be a farce. No sanctions changed Russia's behavior — it had no respect for these measures," Hodges admitted.
