General Ben Hodges: to resist new aggression Ukraine must show that it is ready for it
In an interview to Evropeyskaya Pravda during the Lviv Security Forum, United States Army Commander in Europe, Ben Hodges believes that the only way to prevent a new Russian invasion of Ukraine is to demonstrate preparedness to such a scenario, so that everyone realizes that Ukraine is capable of resisting.
"I don't think we can talk about the high probability of such a scenario," he said, responding to a question of whether the danger of a full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine remains to this day.
"And the path that makes it less real is unambiguous. You must demonstrate your readiness for such a scenario. Everyone must be aware that Ukraine is capable of resisting, that you can also carry out reconnaissance. Actually, that is the containment strategy practiced by NATO: to have capability and demonstrate it. I feel certain that the Ukrainian leadership and security structures share this approach," he said.
"Although, of course, I’d like to emphasize that Russia should also be responsible for lowering the temperature," the Commander of US forces in Europe added.
In late November, the Deputy Head of the Security Service of Ukraine, Viktor Kononenko stated that the main threat today was Russian special services undermining the situation from within Ukraine.