Putin’s strategic aim to subjugate Ukraine remains until he’s stopped — U.S. diplomat

Michael Carpenter, American diplomat and former U.S. Permanent Representative to the OSCE, said this in an interview with Antin Borkovskyi, host of the Studio West program on Espreso TV.

"My view is that Vladimir Putin has set his sights on subjugating Ukraine, and he will not stop until he is stopped by outside powers and by Ukraine itself. His aims are very clear," he said.

According to the diplomat, the longer this war lasts and the more chances Putin sees to occupy new Ukrainian territories, the more actively he will be ready to mobilize resources and deploy troops.

"However, if he is stopped and if the resources provided by the West are sufficient to turn the tide in Ukraine's favor, then he may be forced to re-evaluate whether he can achieve those objectives or whether he must cease fighting and reconsider the future of the Russian Federation. His aims will shift as the trajectory of the war shifts. But fundamentally, the strategic aim is to subjugate Ukraine, and I do not believe that will change until, as I said, Russia is stopped," Carpenter concluded.