Yesterday at 19:43
What if Trump wins – is it that bad for Ukraine? North Korean troops are in Ukraine – will the Pentagon lift the long-range weapons restrictions? Maybe South Korea can help Ukraine in fighting off the dictatorship alliance of North Korea and Russia?
These questions were answered by Kurt Volker, US Special Representative for Ukraine (2017-2019), Executive Director of The McCain Institute for International Leadership (2012-2019) and US Ambassador to NATO (2008-2009), who Henry Keen interviewed for UATV English channel.
— If Donald Trump wins, do you believe this is bad for Ukraine? Some say it would be a disaster for Ukraine, that everything would collapse. Do you agree?
— Well, let me put it this way. What’s bad for Ukraine is a lack of decisive support from the West. We’ve seen strong support over the last two and a half years, but it hasn’t been enough, fast enough, or strong enough, and often it comes with restrictions. This has allowed Putin to continue the war much longer than anyone wanted. That’s already bad for Ukraine.
We need to break that pattern, no matter who the U.S. president is, whether it’s Harris or Trump. The West has to show much greater strength toward Putin, to make him understand he won’t succeed in defeating Ukraine.
— Do you think either candidate will act in a way that benefits Ukraine?
— It’s hard to say what either candidate would do. If elected, Vice President Harris would likely continue Biden’s approach, which has been good but not enough. Trump has said he wants to end the war quickly, but the only way to do that is if Putin stops attacking, which means we’d have to convince him to stop.
There was an op-ed by Mike Pompeo and David Urban in The Wall Street Journal recently. They outlined a “Trump plan” for Ukraine, suggesting an ultimatum: either Putin stops the war, or the U.S. supplies Ukraine with all the necessary weapons until he does. But again, we don’t know what Trump would actually do. In the short term, we need to ramp up support to convince Putin that this has to end.
— Could either candidate change things for Ukraine, though?
— I do think it would matter. Instead of this piecemeal approach, we need a major commitment. I would suggest a massive loan to Ukraine—something like a $500 billion Lend-Lease package. That could allow Ukraine to purchase U.S. defense items, which would send a strong message to Putin. He would understand that he can’t outspend this level of support.
Trump would likely increase U.S. oil and gas production and exports, which would lower global energy prices, reduce U.S. energy costs, and cut funds for Putin’s war. This could also limit funds for Iran’s proxy wars, so that’s a likely and valuable step.
— That sounds like a good plan and beneficial for America, too, like the Lend-Lease Act for Britain in World War II.
— Yes, it’s similar. In World War II, we helped Britain with Lend-Lease before we entered the war ourselves.
— Moving to another issue: North Korean troops reportedly fighting in Ukraine—this is not yet confirmed by the Pentagon, though. Do you think it will be, and might it lead to lifting restrictions on long-range weapons?
— Let’s address North Korea first. Russia has reportedly brought in North Korean troops. We don’t know the exact numbers, but estimates suggest around 10,000 to 12,000 troops. Russia loses that many soldiers roughly every two weeks, so it’s not a significant addition, especially since these North Korean troops might be quite disoriented. They’re unlikely to significantly aid Russia’s war efforts, but they are an escalation since this involves more countries in the conflict.
I don’t understand why the Biden administration and European leaders aren’t calling this out more loudly. It’s an unacceptable escalation that widens the war.
As for long-range weapons, those restrictions should have been lifted long ago. Ukraine should be allowed to target military sites, even if they’re in Russia. However, since we’re close to the U.S. presidential election, the Biden administration may avoid any major announcements on Ukraine. After the election, I’m hopeful we’ll see changes and potentially some approvals for long-range weapons.
— Perhaps Ukraine could ask South Korea for support?
— South Korea might be open to helping, though I wouldn’t ask for troops. But experts in intelligence, communications, and North Korean tactics could be very useful for Ukraine in dealing with the North Korean forces on the ground.
Read also: Antonio Gutierres In russia – The Aftermath Of Betrayal. Interview with Cormac Smith
