The United States must change the conduct of its foreign policy regarding the Russian-Ukrainian war, changing its rhetoric from “we will be with Ukraine for as long as it takes” to “we will be with Ukraine until victory.”
American General Ben Goges , a retired US Army officer who served as commander of the US Army in Europe, spoke about this in Dane Lewis's Back Story podcast.
He said he was disappointed by Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin's statement after he said the war in Ukraine was “a marathon, not a sprint.”
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“I was very disappointed by Minister Austin’s statement. Why does it have to be a marathon? This is our choice, this is an American political decision for this to be a marathon, instead of this being a worthy victory for Ukraine. And when I see references to the fact that we are helping Ukraine fight for its freedom, then strategically it is about helping Ukraine defeat Russia in order to establish stability and security in Europe,” Godges said.
Ben Godges also criticized the White House's statements that the United States is seeking to change the situation in the Russian-Ukrainian war to such a stage as to reach the most favorable negotiating positions for Ukraine.
“The best positions for negotiations are the defeat of Russia and the restoration of the borders (of Ukraine – Ed .) of 1991,” he said.
The former US commander recalled that the success of Ukraine is in the interest of the United States.
— This is about protecting the freedom of Ukraine. Ukraine was already free before Russia invaded in 2014. And now, after 9 years, Russia only controls about 19% of Ukraine. And this refers us to handing over the decisive weapon that would speed up the withdrawal of the Russians from Crimea. I don’t understand why they still keep saying this nonsense “we’ll be with you as long as it takes.” What does this mean? “This means nothing in the context of defeating Russia,” he emphasized.
According to Godges, American politicians should approve a strategic decision to ensure that Ukraine wins the war with Russia .
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“If we say this, then this will become our policy, the policy of the United States, which will manifest itself in the fact that this is not only our strategic interest, but also the strategic interest of Europe and Canada. Ukraine must defeat Russia and push it back to the 1991 borders. This would have a powerful impact not only on Ukraine, but also on Russians. When they see articles with similar headlines, they would understand that the United States has the political will and this nonsense about fatigue from Ukraine… what kind of fatigue are we talking about? Nobody did anything to make them tired. The only people who can be tired are the people inside Ukraine. If we made a statement that “ we are with Ukraine until victory ,” then this would have a decisive influence,” the former American commander emphasized.
Ben Godges also believes that it is a big omission and a mistaken policy for the United States to not want Russia to lose in the war with Ukraine.
Weapons for Ukraine
Speaking about arms supplies to Ukraine, he also recalled that just a few Storm Shadow missile strikes on Sevastopol forced Russia to regroup its fleet.
— Imagine if Ukraine had 50 or 100 ATACMS missiles with a range of 300 km. There would be no place in Crimea from which Russian aircraft or navy could operate safely, since they would all be under threat of attack, the former US commander said.
Ben Godges also believes that in the Hamas attack on Israel, the main beneficiary is Russian President Vladimir Putin, since Western countries are reducing assistance to Ukraine. The American general called this state of affairs “a gift for the Kremlin.”
Ukrainian territories in exchange for peace
General Godges also criticized his co-host Dane Lewis for offering to give up parts of Ukrainian territory in exchange for a ceasefire and negotiations with Russia.
— This is the logic of the 19th century, when Russia, Prussia, Austria and France agreed on the division of smaller states. Now we are in 2023 and serious people are discussing the issue of giving Crimea to Russia. People who say this either don't understand geography or don't understand history. Look at the map and see where the Crimean Peninsula is. Occupying Crimea, Russia will be an eternal threat to Ukraine, to the entire Ukrainian coast, to all ports. “Ukraine will never be able to restore its economy, because Russia simply will not allow it,” he emphasized.
The former US commander says that with Russia under control of Crimea, even after the deoccupation of Mariupol, access to the Sea of Azov will be blocked for Ukraine, since Russia will be able to block any ship leaving the city on Azov.
“Who are we to tell Ukraine “let them (the Russians, – Ed .) get it (the peninsula, – Ed .)”… It is guaranteed that this will not lead to peace ,” he explained.
