Retired Ukrainian Defense Minister: We do not believe in Russian offensive
Russia resolves issues of the Euro-Atlantic future of Ukraine directly with Western countries, bypassing official Kyiv.
Former Minister of Defense of Ukraine Andrei Zagorodnyuk stated this on the radio station “Novoye Vremya”, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
According to Zagorodnyuk, first of all, Russia is working with the United States and experts in Washington.
“The Russian Federation, which is our existential adversary, does not see us as a country in the future at all. They are raising the stakes and trying to resolve the issue regarding our Euro-Atlantic integration and, in general, regarding our future, over their heads, communicating directly with the West, with Western countries. In particular, with the United States of America, realizing that they will not be able to negotiate concessions here, as they tried to do in the 19th and 20th years. And now they are trying to do it behind Ukraine,” Zagorodnyuk said.
“For us, this is a very serious strategic threat, they do not directly, but they threaten to use force, they threaten with different scenarios, they are actively conducting an information campaign in the United States, in Washington among experts and journalists in order to show the extent of this threat and its inevitability,” - said the ex-minister.
At the same time, he believes that an offensive by Russian troops in Ukraine is unlikely to take place.
“We do not believe that a large-scale operation, or even a local one, is beneficial to the Russian Federation, per se, which would give the Russian Federation a significant advantage, because we believe that they will not be able to complete it successfully. They will be able to start it, they will be able to theoretically inflict enormous damage on Ukraine, but at the same time, it will be extremely difficult, if not impossible, for them to completely take control of Ukraine,” says Zagorodnyuk.
Let us remind you. that after Vladimir Zelensky won the presidential election, Zagorodnyuk became Minister of Defense and held this position from August 2019 to March 2020.
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