Ben Hodges: “I Believe That Ukraine Is Going To Win"
FROM WHAT YOU SEE ON THE MAPS AND FROM YOUR EXPERIENCE AS A GROUND COMMANDER AND COMMANDER OF ALL FORCES EUROPE, IS THERE THE TIME AND IS NATO DOING IT FAST ENOUGH TO GET THIS STUFF TO THE UKRAINIANS SO THAT IT'S USEFUL BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE? SO THERE IS TWO QUESTIONS THERE. THAT, AND WHAT DO YOU SEE RUSSIA DOING ON THE GROUND RIGHT NOW IN TERMS OF SPEED OF ATTACK? >> SO LET ME FRAME IT FIRST BY SAYING I BELIEVE THAT UKRAINE IS GOING TO WIN IN THE END HERE. OF COURSE, THERE IS NO GUARANTEE, BUT BASED ON WHAT I HAVE SEEN UKRAINIAN OLDER AND UKRAINIAN POPULATION. THEY'RE DEFENDING THEIR HOME. I THEY KNOW THE TERRAIN. AS LONG AS WE CONTINUE TO PROVIDE THE WEAPONS AND AMMUNITION AND THE THINGS THAT THEY NEED, I BELIEVE THAT THEY CAN STAY IN THE FIGHT UNTIL THEY HAVE WON AND UNTIL THE RUSSIANS HAVE FINALLY CULMINATED. I DON'T IMAGINE ONE DAY THERE IS GOING TO BE A BIG RUSSIAN SURRENDER CEREMONY BUT WHAT WE'RE AFTER IS THE CULMINATION OF THE RUSSIAN MILITARY EFFORT. THE RUSSIANS HAVE CHOSEN A WAR OF ATTRITION BECAUSE THEIR ORIGINAL PLANS WERE UNSUCCESSFUL. BY THE WAY, BEFORE I GO ANY FURTHER, CLEARLY THERE ARE GOING TO BE WEEKS AND WEEKS OF DESTRUCTION, MORE INNOCENT PEOPLE KILLED. THIS IS GOING TO BE NASTY FOR SEVERAL MORE WEEKS. BUT IF WE THINK LONG TERM, TO WIN A WAR OF ATTRITION, NEED THREE THINGS. YOU NEED TIME. YOU NEED ENDLESS AMOUNTS OF AMMUNITION, AND YOU NEED MANPOWER, AND THE RUGS DO NOT HAVE ENOUGH OF ANY OF THOSE THREE. THE SANCTIONS THAT ARE GOING TO BE TAKING EFFECT OVER THE NEXT FEW WEEKS, AND THAT'S GOING TO SHORTEN THE AMOUNT OF TIME THAT THE RUSSIANS HAVE AND ALSO THE RUSSIAN POPULATION IS A PART OF THIS. AND I THINK AT SOME POINT AND I'D LIKE TO COME BACK TO THAT-- THIS IS GOING TO CUT SHORT THE AMOUNT OF TIME THAT THE KREMLIN HAS. RESOURCES, AMMUNITION. WE ARE STARTING TO GET REPORTS THAT THE RUSSIANS ARE RUNNING LOW ON CRITICAL, WHAT WE WOULD CALL PREFERRED MUNITIONS AND SOME OF THE MORE DESTRUCTIVE WEAPONS. THEY DON'T HAVE UNLIMITED AMOUNTS. I CAN TELL YOU WE DON'T HAVE AMMUNITION. THESE THINGS ARE EXPENSIVE. THE RUSSIANS HAVE BEEN CONSUMING AMMUNITION AT A MUCH FASTER RATE THAN WHAT WE PLANNED TO DO AND THIS REALLY BURNS UP A LOT OF AMMUNITION. I THINK THEY'RE FOG RUN OUT OF AMMUNITION. AND THEN MANPOWER.
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