RIGA - The US must finally realize that Russia would have absolutely nothing to gain from using nuclear weapons, but a lot to gain from threatening them, and therefore stop restraining itself and therefore also the Ukrainians because of the nuclear threat, former Commander of the US Armed Forces in Europe, retired Lieutenant General Ben Hodges told LETA in an interview.
He strongly criticized the US reluctance to allow the Ukrainians to use Western-made weapons against any legitimate targets on Russian territory.
"I think this policy of the current administration is outrageous and I do not agree with it at all. There is no legal, moral, tactical or military reason to restrict the Ukrainians," Hodges told LETA on the sidelines of the Riga Conference security and foreign policy forum.
The retired Lieutenant General believes that this US policy is based on an excessive fear of Russia using nuclear weapons.
"We are thus indulging in a policy of Russian bullying. And this has been going on for more than two years. For once, we must be clear that Russia is bluffing," Hodges stressed.
"Of course, I cannot say that there is absolutely no such possibility - yes, they have thousands of nuclear weapons and they do not care how many innocent people they kill, including their own. But think about it: why would they use nuclear weapons? There is no benefit, none whatsoever. There is only the benefit of threatening us with nuclear weapons, because they see that this stops us. We therefore do not clearly declare that we want to see a Ukrainian victory, we do not allow our weapons to be used against targets in Russia, we send 40-year-old armaments to the Ukrainians. Nor have we used our full economic leverage," explained the former commander of US forces in Europe.
He added that neither China nor India want Russia to use nuclear weapons because they do not want to disrupt their access to cheap oil and gas.
"My President has told Russia that it would face catastrophic consequences if Moscow were to use nuclear weapons. So I see such a move from Russia as extremely unlikely. We must stop restraining ourselves because of it," said Hodges. "The Russians know they cannot defeat the Ukrainians. Their only hope is in us - that we will turn our backs on Ukraine," he said.
Hodges believes that if the West decided to pursue a Ukrainian victory in earnest, it would stop the oil and gas flowing to China and India, because that is the only thing that generates enough income for Russia to buy arms from North Korea and Iran. Moreover, he believes that no naval blockade would be necessary for this purpose.
"It would be enough if the European Union used its full legal authority to stop these ships, which are clearly dangerous to the environment and are not properly insured. States have the power to enforce the law. We could be much more aggressive in enforcing those laws," he explained, adding that at the same time more support to Ukraine would be needed by giving it the weapons to hit Russia's oil and gas infrastructure.
Asked about the potential impact of the outcome of the US presidential election on the security situation in Europe and the war in Ukraine, Hodges pointed out that Russia attacked despite US support for Ukraine.
"This Russian threat is not going anywhere. If the US, under [Donald] Trump's administration, decides that this is Europe's problem - which of course it is not and it is also our problem - and turns its back on Ukraine, then the risk to the whole of Europe will increase significantly. The Baltic States, Germany, which would be the biggest loser - millions of refugees would come to them and German credibility would be severely damaged," Hodges warned.
He pointed out that it is in the interest of the US European allies to prepare for the possibility that there may not be as much of an American presence in Europe as there is now.
"Fortunately, Congress supports Ukraine. I don't really foresee that support being suddenly cut off," Hodges added.
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