General Ben Hodges: Ukraine can win the war! Just stop Russian oil to China and India

More than a year Russian troops are conducting offensive operations on several sections of the front in Ukraine. However, their offensive can hardly be called successful. This was stated by the retired American general and former commander of the US ground forces Ben Hodges in an interview with Hromadske.

"From Avdeevka to Pokrovsk is 63 kilometers. Within a year, the Russians failed to advance 60 kilometers into Ukrainian territory, despite heavy losses. Tens of thousands of their soldiers died in these battles. This can hardly be called a successful offensive operation”, the general explained.

Hodges noted that in war, the most important thing is not to stop an enemy's advance at any cost. He believes that people should be patient and look at the facts.

"The resources of the Russians are not limitless. Of course, Russia continues to produce weapons. However, due to the sanctions, the Russians cannot get some of the components they need. When I look at the Russian economy, the terrible state of the ruble, I have to admit that Russia has a lot of problems. However, I don't know how much longer they will be able to continue this war”, he stressed.

According to Hodges, Russia has a labor shortage, including in the arms factories.

To reduce Russia's options in war, the West must stop the flow of Russian oil to China and India, the US military also says. According to him, such an intense war would be almost impossible to sustain for a long time.

"The only advantage that Russia has is the large number of people, that is why it is so important that Ukraine has the opportunity to strike deep in the rear of the Russian headquarters, artillery and logistics,”, he explained.

He assured Hromadske that even thousands of ill-trained Russian infantrymen would not be able to advance without effective command, artillery support, tanks and sufficient ammunition. According to him, that is why more high-precision long-range weapons should be transferred to Ukraine.

Also, the former commander of the US Ground Forces in Europe spoke about the possible transfer of Taurus missiles to Ukraine. He noted that this could happen as early as 2025.

"Germany will probably have a new government in February. So I hope Ukraine can finally get Taurus missiles next year. I am an optimist“, he concluded.