For months, Ukraine has been demanding F-16 fighter jets from the U.S. and Taurus cruise missiles from Germany. But the Western allies are hesitant – the fear of a direct conflict with Russia may be too great.
A dithering that former U.S. General Ben Hodges believes Ukraine is paying dearly for. This reports the German news website n-tv.de with reference to an interview Hodges gave to the German Tagesspiegel. “Does the West want Ukraine to win? My faith is fading,” the former commander of U.S. forces in Europe said. Even though the U.S. has now agreed to supply F-16s, he said, it is an “example of a lack of determination to help Ukraine win.”
Along with the U.S., he says Germany is also too hesitant when it comes to delivering its Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine. Hodges: if Ukraine’s counteroffensive fails, “you have to hold the U.S. and German governments responsible.” Further, Hodges stresses the importance of long-range precision strikes in this war. In his estimation, they are also necessary to retake the Crimean peninsula annexed by Russia.
Image: president.gov.ua, Зустріч Президента України з Федеральним канцлером Австрії 44 (cropped), CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (image size modified)
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