‘Ukraine is on its own’ right now as Russia invades, says retired general
Feb 25, 2022, 10:20 AM
Ukrainians demonstrate in Whitehall outside of Downing Street, the residence of the UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, on Feb. 25, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)
(Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)
The chances of Western nations landing ground troops in Ukraine are slim to none, according to retired General Barry McCaffrey.
“Ukraine is on its own,” McCaffrey told KIRO Newsradio’s Gee Scott and Ursula Reutin this week.
Ukraine is not a member of NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization — and as such, “NATO will not fight for Ukraine,” McCaffrey noted.
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So right now, when it comes to Ukraine, the United States is only opting for severe sanctions against Russia. But, McCaffrey says it is unclear what impact, if any, those sanctions will have in the long run.
There are several Baltic states that are members of NATO, however, and President Joe Biden has appeared to draw the line there.
“What it tells [Russian President Vladimir] Putin is, look, if you invade the Baltics, on the first hour you’ll be fighting U.S. military forces. And he’s not going to want to do that — yet. Five years from now, that’s the next set of targets,” McCaffrey predicted.
Putin knows, as McCaffrey explained, that he doesn’t have a chance of overwhelming Western Europe with conventional military power.
“But he reached into his threat basket and came up with nukes. You wonder what’s going on in his murderous head,” McCaffrey said.
As for Putin’s immediate goals?
“He’ll end up winning this operation,” McCaffrey said, adding, “Putin’s entire purpose is to seize Ukraine and reintegrate it into Mother Russia.”
Listen to the full interview with General Barry McCaffrey:
Listen to Gee Scott and Ursula Reutin weekday mornings from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. on KIRO Newsradio, 97.3 FM. Subscribe to the podcast here.
