“The Russians have their backs against the wall” – What the US ambassador says

“THE Russia is failing to meet its strategic goals,” US Ambassador Julianne Smith said. Answering a question from APE-MPE, in a discussion he had (yesterday Thursday) at the NATO headquarters in Brussels with a limited number of media, about which phase of the war in Ukraine we are in, if there is still talk of a long war and what developments we could expect given that o Vladimir Putin is starting to lose, Ms. Smith said that “obviously the ideal is for him to get up tomorrow and decide to stop the war. It’s something he can do and only he can do. We want to try to put as much pressure on him as possible, to force him to make such a choice or sharpen his thinking. We all wish we had a crystal ball. It is extremely difficult to know.”

“Russia’s back is against the wall”

“I think one of the things that surprised me personally is that I didn’t expect the draft. There are many different periods in this conflict. We try to assess the events on the ground and make predictions. More importantly, what Ukrainians need in the field. What is clear now is that Russia is failing to meet its strategic goals“, he noted and referred to Moscow’s goal at the beginning of the war, to head full speed towards Kyiv.

In addition, the American Ambassador, referring to the Russian conscription, pointed out that during her “suggests that (the Russians) have their backs against the wall, that they are in a position where they feel they cannot achieve their goals on the ground”while also speaking about their behavior.

“There seems to be no limit to the horrific attacks”

“Some of their behavior revealed their worst instincts. The sorting camps that we have seen and the extraordinary news that we are receiving about war crimes, violation of human rights… I mean, these are signs that show that there are no limits to the horrific attacks that they are carrying out in Ukraine,” he emphasized, saying that the result is that “our unity grows stronger and our resolve to support Ukraine grows stronger because of Russia’s actions. I wish I had a crystal ball, I wish I could say that there would be a truce in the near future or that Putin would soon decide that he needs to end this war, but the thing is, we don’t know. Allies are ready for it. They are prepared to stand by our friends in Ukraine as long as necessary.”

Concerning on the Nord Stream issue, Julian Smith expressed “deep concern” and said that “we are working closely with our friends in Denmark, Germany and Sweden” so that “who is responsible for the leaks” can be found. He also referred to the statement issued by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. “Any deliberate attack on critical Allied infrastructure would be met with a united and decisive response. I believe this is an important part of the statement,” he stressed. He added that “every NATO announcement must be agreed upon by all 30 allies. The 30 Allies got together and decided they needed to send a message. These words were chosen deliberately: united and decisive response.’

“Fake referendums have no impact on our support for Ukraine”

The US Ambassador to NATO also underlined that “the fake referendums” organized by Russia they are “meaningless and have no impact on the support we provide to Ukraine”, reiterating the determination to support Kyiv.

Finally, regarding Vladimir Putin’s threats to use nuclear weapons, he emphasized that “they are dangerous and worrying. All of us, and especially the US, are closely monitoring the situation on the ground.” “We find this rhetoric extremely dangerous and will continue to monitor it. We take it very seriously in the NATO Alliance and it is something we will continue to monitor,” Ms Smith said.