President Vladimir Putin “will not stop there” if Russia wins in Ukraine, says General David Petraeus, former CIA director and former commander of international forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. He warns that the Republic of Moldova or perhaps one of the Baltic states will be next.

General David PetraeusPhoto: Mandel Ngan / AFP / Profimedia Images
  • “I think we’re going to see Congress come together because I think, you know, there’s a very strong bipartisan majority in the Senate, as well as a pretty significant one in the House of Representatives, that wants to allow more aid to Ukraine. It is the dynamics in the House (of Representatives) that complicate the approach. It will be resolved. The question is ‘when’ and how much longer Ukraine can continue,” Petraeus said, noting that the amount already proposed, $44 billion, is very affordable over 2 years and the $1.7 trillion US defense budget. .
  • “In my opinion, it is about the confrontation between good and evil, it is a brutal invasion of a sovereign country right on the border of NATO countries. We should have no doubt that if Russia wins there, if Putin succeeds in achieving his very big goals in Ukraine, he will not stop there. The next target will be Moldova, or perhaps one of the Baltic states or others,” he warned.

Uncertainty for Ukraine at the beginning of 2024

Ukraine ended 2023 in a state of uncertainty regarding the financial aid promised by the US and the EU from now on, but the matter is still far from being resolved.

The US announced on December 27 the last tranche of aid available to Ukraine without a second vote in the US Congress. That’s $250 million, but without clear additional aid through 2024, White House and Pentagon officials have warned that the U.S. will soon be unable to supply enough interceptor missiles for its Patriot air defense systems.

A Ukrainian general said this week that Ukraine’s mobile air defenses have enough ammunition to deal with only “a few” new large-scale attacks by Russia, and that they can only be replenished with help from the West.

In the US, a new $61.4 billion financial aid package for Ukraine, which Democratic President Joe Biden has asked Congress to approve, is still being blocked by Republicans, who are demanding that Democrats strengthen measures against illegal migration in exchange for his approval.

Meanwhile, the EU also rejected a new €50bn bailout for Ukraine over the next four years requested by the European Commission after Hungary objected at a European summit last week, but talks will continue and a new summit is scheduled for February 1. .

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