"I don't think Russia can escalate": Ex-US general now thinking of unreserved arms delivery
Created: 01/13/2023 05:27
By: Franziska Schwarz
Ben Hodges in Illesheim in March 2017 © Nicolas Armer/dpa
Ben Hodges is certain that Ukraine is "far superior" to Russia in two respects - and gives the West a clear recommendation.
Munich – Is the military situation for Russia in the Ukraine war currently good?
No - the atmosphere surrounding Kremlin boss Vladimir Putin is only pretending.
At least that's the assessment of ex-US General Ben Hodges.
"I don't think Moscow can really escalate things," he said, according to the
Kyiv Independent
.
His conclusion: The West should now “not hold back” on arms deliveries to Kyiv.
Hodges even thought aloud about the delivery of powerful and iconic weapons - such as F-16 fighter jets.
For a year, they "kept themselves away from such steps," Hodges explained in an interview with the US broadcaster CNN.
"The fear of a possible escalation by Russia was too great - ten months ago we were still worried about the delivery of Stinger anti-aircraft missiles... from today's point of view ridiculous".
Just two days earlier - on Tuesday (January 10) - CNN also reported that the shelling of Russian troops had recently "dramatically" reduced, in some parts of Ukraine even by a good 75 percent.
Officials from Washington and Kyiv suspected that a Russian shortage of ammunition was the reason.
On the other hand, this could also be a change in Russian tactics due to the Ukrainian counter-offensives.
Bradley, Marder and Leopard as "brakes" for Russian escalation?
Nevertheless, this development is a clear indication of the weakness of the Russian military, experts told CNN.
The reason for this is the Western military aid.
Most recently, the USA (50 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles), Germany (Marder infantry fighting vehicles) and Poland (Leopard infantry fighting vehicles) also promised further heavy equipment.
will this help
The British government seems confident.
"It is clear that main battle tanks could provide Ukrainians with crucial capabilities," a spokesman for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told journalists on Wednesday (January 11).
London considering deliveries of Challenger 2 main battle tank.
German arms deliveries to Kyiv: according to CDU top politicians a "tragedy"
Ex-US General Hodges also believes that Russian-occupied Crimea could be liberated by the summer.
The situation of the Russians is getting worse every week.
"They say war is a test of will and logistics - and Ukraine is far superior on both counts," Hogdes recently told the
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
.
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Meanwhile, criticism comes from the German opposition.
According to the CDU foreign politician Norbert Röttgen, the federal government's hesitation in delivering weapons is a "tragedy".
The fact that Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) only follows the decisions very quickly when there is sufficient international pressure divides Europe, Röttgen said on Thursday (January 12) on Deutschlandfunk.
On the other hand, arms deliveries are also a prerequisite for a political solution to end the war, emphasized Röttgen.
(frs with dpa material)