Europe still oblivious to threat at its doorstep — General Hodges
Europe still doesn't get that the war in Ukraine is a direct threat to its own security, so it keeps dragging its feet on tough action against Russia. Meanwhile, cutting off oil flows is critical to starving the Kremlin of the resources it needs to keep fighting
General Ben Hodges, Commander of U.S. forces in Europe, expressed this opinion on Espreso TV.
"There is no doubt that Russia is the greatest threat to European security, as well as to the U.S. and Canada. This is all because of Putin and his desire to do everything possible to destroy relations between NATO, the U.S., and Europe. Putin doesn't care how many people he loses, because he is indifferent," Hodges emphasized.
According to the general, Russia will not be able to defeat Ukrainian defenders, because over the past year it has captured less than one percent of Ukrainian territory. And this has cost Russia $150 billion and enormous human losses.
"We must do everything to stop the flow of oil so that Russia cannot continue to finance this war. European countries must stop all Russian tankers and help Ukraine destroy all oil production facilities in Russia," Hodges noted.
The general added that the problem now is that Russia has targeted civilian infrastructure and the civilian lives of Ukrainians. And, unfortunately, this will continue until partners find a way to stop it.
"But the biggest threat to Europe is that it still does not understand or believe that Russia is at war with Europe. Europe still does not feel the heat. And as long as European countries remain in this state, with or without the U.S., all of this will continue," Hodges concluded.
- President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that the Donbas issue will be key at the trilateral negotiations between Ukraine, the U.S., and Russia in the UAE on January 23-24.
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