Putin conducted a reconnaissance maneuver in the spring to crush Ukraine in the fall - fugitive liberal
Russia did not intend to attack Ukraine in the spring of 2021, but will do so towards the end of the summer or early autumn.
The fugitive former adviser to the Russian president and fierce Kremlin critic Andrei Illarionov stated this in an interview on the Ukraine 24 television channel, reports a PolitNavigator correspondent.
“Putin was not going to really attack Ukraine now, in the spring. If he is going to launch a large-scale offensive, he will do it at another time. What we saw was either a bluff or blackmail. Checking, testing both Ukraine, and Europe, and the entire West, testing - what can happen. He received enough information about what the reaction might be from not only Ukraine, but also Western countries.
And this is very valuable information that he will take into account in the future. The likelihood of such an offensive at a much higher level could be in late summer, early autumn, especially in September of this year, when the joint Russian-Belarusian exercises “West 2021” will take place,” Andrei Illarionov said.
At the same time, the United States does not provide Ukraine with the necessary support.
“In 2019, the US provided $415 million, but this year the current administration only promised $125 million. Moreover, the previous administration budgeted, and the US Congress approved it, $275 million. But the current administration has cut the military aid budget to Ukraine to $125 million.
A reduction of 3,5 times in the context of a serious crisis in relations between Russia and Ukraine. That is, if the current US administration really wanted to protect Ukraine, if the current US administration really wanted to demonstrate its strong, tough position in supporting Ukraine, then it would increase military assistance.
Why doesn't the US increase it to at least a billion dollars a year? Why not conduct exercises on the territory of Ukraine, especially during the period July-September 2021? Why not conduct exercises in the Novaya Kakhovka area, in the area of the North Crimean Canal? Why not station American troops there on a rotational basis? Why not appoint an American ambassador, or at least choose a candidate? She was never chosen. Why not appoint a special envoy to work with Ukraine,” Andrei Illarionov rhetorically blasted the Biden administration.
Putin Conducted a Reconnaissance Maneuver in the Spring to Crush Ukraine in the Fall – Fugitive Liberal