'These are outright lies': The former CIA chief challenges Russia's claims about war
Photo: David Petraeus, ex-Director of the CIA (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
Russia’s leadership is deliberately distorting the situation on the battlefield, and Ukraine needs to prove to Vladimir Putin that he cannot achieve victory by military means, David Petraeus told in an interview to RBC-Ukraine.
“These are outright lies”
Petraeus said the Russian authorities are not simply exaggerating their military’s achievements on the battlefield but are deliberately spreading false information.
According to him, statements by Russian Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov about the advance of Russian forces are outright lies.
“what Gerasimov says is beyond exaggeration. These are outright lies. Absolutely. They are not at Sloviansk,” Petraeus said.
He also agreed with the statement that Russian forces have not captured Sviatohirsk, despite Russian President Vladimir Putin’s claim.
Putin needs to see reality
Petraeus said Putin continues to convince US special envoy Steve Witkoff that Russia is succeeding and that he is winning.
“He tells Witkoff that 'We are winning. We will win,’” the former CIA chief said.
According to Petraeus, the Russian leader will not show concern and will continue to claim that his country is making progress. Therefore, he believes Ukraine needs to change Putin’s calculations.
“It cannot win”
Petraeus believes Ukraine’s key task should be to prove that Russia cannot win.
“And what Ukraine has to do is show that it cannot win. And then, and only then, will Putin realize that he needs a cessation of hostilities. That is Ukraine's theory of victory,” he said.
At the same time, Petraeus called for continued support for Ukraine and stressed the importance of the war for NATO countries.
“It has to stand up to everything that Russia is throwing at it. We need to help them do that in every way that we can. Look, Ukraine is essentially fighting NATO's war for it,” the former CIA director said.
According to him, Russia is a common adversary for NATO countries, while Putin’s actions have been one of the reasons for the strengthening of the alliance.
“This is our common enemy. The whole reason NATO has been reinvigorated is because of Vladimir Putin,” Petraeus added.
We also reported that Petraeus said Russia had failed to achieve its objectives during its spring-summer campaign despite attempts to advance on the battlefield. According to him, Russian forces are paying a huge price in casualties for their advances.
