Ukraine should be accepted into NATO and European Union to prevent further aggression from Russian Federation - Hodges
Russia, with its war of conquest against Ukraine and its aggression against the whole of Europe, is today the first and most dangerous threat in the short term." Other threats are China, Iran, and North Korea.
According to Censor.NET with reference to DW, this opinion was expressed by retired US Lieutenant General, former commander of the US Army in Europe Ben Hodges in a guest article for the magazine Europäische Sicherheit & Technik.
"Putin's war against Ukraine has turned the Russian economy into ruins, and most of the Russian military has shown itself to be incompetent and corrupt. We have to prepare for the collapse of Putin's regime - to organize ourselves for victory," said Hodges.
"Victory means pushing Russian forces back to Ukraine's internationally recognized 1991 borders. And yes, this includes Crimea. Victory must also include the return of tens of thousands of abducted Ukrainian children, prosecution of Russia's war crimes at the International Criminal Court, the use of Russian funds to rebuild Ukraine, and Ukraine's accession to NATO," Hodges added.
He also emphasized that if the global West, especially the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, and France, act together, Ukraine will indeed win this war. At the same time, he believes that a nuclear response from Russia is unlikely.
"If Ukraine loses its military defense campaign, the risk of Russia attacking NATO countries using conventional means will increase," Hodges warned.
The former U.S. Army commander in Europe also added that Ukraine should be able to attack targets deep in Russia's rear without restrictions imposed by the United States or other countries.
"The enormous Russian mass - headquarters, artillery, logistics - must be destroyed by precision strikes," Hodges added.
And he points out that 2025 should be "the year of the industrial competition," and the West, together with Ukraine, can win it against Russia, "given that the economic power of the West is many times greater than Russia's."
"No matter how the war in Ukraine ends, the West needs a fresh strategy to contain Russia. Kyiv can become a bulwark against Putin's clearly articulated plans to further conquer Europe," the former general said.
As a reminder, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte recently stated that the Alliance as an organization cannot exist and defend Europe without the involvement of the United States.
