US Ambassador to NATO: Peace is the best option for both Ukraine and Russia
Photo: Matthew Whitaker, US Ambassador to NATO (Getty Images)
Ending the war is the best scenario for both Ukraine and Russia. Continuing the fighting makes no sense, US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker said this in an interview on Fox News.
"Peace is a better option, a better option for all sides. You know, Russia is spending probably twice that to continue to prosecute this war. It is a complete waste. It is senseless what's happening," the diplomat stressed.
He added that this is why US President Donald Trump insists that the killings must stop and that a peace agreement must be reached.
How the war has affected Russia
Earlier, Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service reported that from January to September 2025, Russia recorded a historic peak in military spending since the start of the full-scale invasion.
According to intelligence data, Russia spends an average of 1.32 trillion rubles (about $16.6 billion) per month on the war.
Overall, the cost of the war against Ukraine for Russian taxpayers has reached 42.343 trillion rubles (approximately $542 billion).
Ukrainian intelligence has also noted that, amid the war, Russian companies are increasingly facing financial difficulties. In particular, 68% of companies in Russia are cutting costs in order to "stay afloat."
At the same time, due to Western sanctions, Russia has no capacity to modernize its energy equipment, with 70% of it already considered worn out. As a result, power supply problems are emerging in a number of regions that are not connected to Russia’s unified energy system.
