Vladimir Putin would attack a NATO member state if he wins the war in Ukraine, believes General Keith Kellogg, the special envoy of American President Donald Trump for Ukraine. He compared the current tense situation to the one before World War II.
Asked in an interview with the British daily The Telegraph about former American Vice President Mike Pence’s statements, who claimed last week that a Russian takeover of Ukraine would be followed by an attack on a NATO ally, Kellogg promptly replied: „Absolutely. We must view Putin and Russia as an expansionist power. He wants to restore the Russian Empire – just look at history. Give him an inch, he’ll take a mile.”
Additionally, Kellogg drew a parallel between the current situation and the period before World War II. "In Munich, in 1938, Hitler said he only wanted the Sudetenland. Then the Rhineland, then Poland, then we were in World War II. History doesn't repeat itself, but it certainly rhymes. That's exactly what's happening here with Ukraine. We must stop him (Putin) now," the American official said.
Kellogg also mentioned that the Kremlin leader has never stopped being a KGB agent.
"The West doesn't understand. He pretends he doesn't speak English, but he does, and I've caught him several times before. He's a manipulator. The only thing that can counteract this is strength, power, and force," Kellogg said.
He added that Russia's idea of being a strong nuclear power should not be ignored, and a response is needed, recalling how Trump raised the issue with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
"When the North Koreans said they were a nuclear power, Trump's response was: 'So am I. I have a red button too. It's bigger than yours and mine works better.' Putin is a realist, and if you raise the stakes, he will back down," Kellogg said.
The General also reiterated that the widespread violation of Polish airspace by Russian drones on September 10 was not accidental and that Russia is testing the West's reaction.
Meanwhile, Moscow has taken another step forward, Russian fighter jets being intercepted by NATO in Estonian airspace. Today, Poland also reported that two Russian planes flew low over an oil platform in the Baltic Sea.