US fears escalation, destruction of Russia – diplomat Khara

He shared his opinions with Espreso TV.

"If there were a true ‘theory of Ukraine's victory,’ as it's often referred to in the West, it would be more straightforward to convey this theory to American citizens who will primarily vote for the president next November. This, of course, would simplify matters. There are certain red lines in the minds of Americans that they cannot cross, and this goes beyond just President Biden," he said.

He emphasized that the US holds the belief that going to war with Russia is not an option, although preparations should be made. Above all, “it's crucial not to push the situation to the brink where it begins to escalate.”

"And of course, this immediately brings to mind the 1990s, when George W. Bush, speaking to the Ukrainian parliament, called for not choosing ‘suicidal’ nationalism. Of course, they didn't want Ukraine, which had the third largest nuclear stockpile in the world, to become independent and then pose a direct threat to the United States and Russia. And these fears that the nuclear, chemical, and bacteriological weapons that Russia has could fall into the wrong hands have not gone away," the diplomat believes.

Khara noted that the US understands that it cannot interfere in the affairs of regions or states, especially those as large as Russia, as it has already had negative experience in promoting democracy, for example, in Afghanistan.

"Because at first it was an operation to break the spine of the Taliban or those who supported the September 11 terrorists, and then the idea emerged that we should help create democracy in this difficult country and it failed, they could not even organize security structures. That's why there is skepticism among the American political elite that they can play such a role, especially in relation to Russia. They do not like our ideas that Carthage should be destroyed at all; on the contrary, they think it is wrong," he emphasized.

The diplomat also drew attention to the way the US provides assistance to Ukraine, noting that there is a certain limitation and fear of escalation.

"That is, we cannot fire American missiles at Russian territory. This is such a strange war. It's not going anywhere in the near future, because we need to do not only propaganda work in this area, but also intellectual work to convince people that Russia cannot be worse than it is now - this is the best of the worst options that Russia has. It will be defeated in Ukraine, this is the only chance for the good Russians to take power in their hands, because there is no other way,"Khara added.

• On October 10, reports emerged that the White House is exploring the possibility of consolidating military aid for Ukraine and Israel into a single package. This approach aims to streamline and expedite the implementation of both decisions. 

• US National Security Advisor, Jake Sullivan, stated that the US has the necessary resources to simultaneously assist Ukraine and support Israel.

• Earlier, John Kirby, Strategic Communications Coordinator for the US National Security Council at the White House, said that the supply of ATACMS missiles to Ukraine is not ruled out, and the United States continues to consider additional capabilities that Ukraine needs.
• On October 13, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said that the US would provide Israel with the weapons it needs to fight Hamas terrorists, while continuing to supply Ukraine with weapons to fight Russian aggression.