Former Commander of US Forces in Europe, Ben Hodges, said nothing about the “future failure” of the Ukrainian counteroffensive. On the contrary, the general expressed cautious optimism regarding the effectiveness of the Ukrainian army in operations against Russian occupiers.
Russian media, continuing its policy of denying the combat capability of Ukrainian Armed Forces, spread disinformation that the Ukrainian allies were supposedly confident in the “failure” of the counteroffensive. Pro-Kremlin media claimed that NATO military experts “have no doubt about the defeat” of the Ukrainian army in battles against Russian occupiers.
“Former NATO Commander of Forces in Europe, Ben Hodges, believes that Western countries actually realize the catastrophic situation of Ukraine on the front line. Therefore, they have no doubt that sooner or later the Ukrainian troops will lose,” Russian media write.
The disinformation is based on an interview with former Commander of US Forces in Europe, Ben Hodges, published by Business Insider, in which the American general commented on the expected Ukrainian counteroffensive. Hodges said nothing about the “future failure” of the Ukrainian operation. This is a Russian fake. On the contrary, the military officer expressed cautious optimism regarding the effectiveness of the Ukrainian army against Russian occupiers, particularly “given Russia’s weakened, disorganized forces and Ukraine’s “superior” willpower.”
Ben Hodges emphasized that when discussing the capabilities of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, it is necessary to abandon the idea that the future counteroffensive is crucial for Ukraine’s victory. According to the American general, this is an incorrect notion that puts excessive pressure on the Ukrainian army.
“I would reject the talk that Ukraine’s only got one shot, that if it doesn’t achieve a knockout blow then that’s it and everyone will say ‘too bad,’ and stop supporting them… The only thing I think that can screw this up is if the west exerts so much pressure on Ukraine and it causes them to stop short of a total victory,” Hodges emphasized.
Hodges also reminded that Russian aggression affects not only Ukraine. Therefore, the West should remain united and assist Ukraine in preserving the international order based on respect for sovereignty, human rights, and other norms of democratic countries.
Former Commander of US Forces in Europe, Hodges, has previously spoken positively about Ukraine’s military successes in the war against Russia. On May 2, Hodges wrote on Twitter that Russia, despite having a numerical advantage over the Ukrainian forces, managed to occupy only 15% of Ukraine’s territory in 9 years of war. The American general stressed that during this time, Russia failed to gain any advantage over Ukraine, neither in the air nor in intercepting arms supplies: “I see no reason for any Russian optimism,” Hodges concluded.
