“My government is more concerned about the nuclear threat than helping Ukraine win”: General Ben Godges
With the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, Western allies actively support Kyiv, providing various military assistance. However, despite the significant amount of weapons provided to Ukraine, some governments impose restrictions on the use of these weapons against Russian targets. Such caution is explained by fears of an escalation of the conflict and possible consequences, including a nuclear threat from the Kremlin. The governments of many Western countries, in particular the United States, see a risk in the use of long-range weapons on the territory of Russia, which prevents them from fully providing Ukraine with all the necessary means for victory.
Former commander of the US Army in Europe, Ben Godges expressed his opinion on the restrained position of the Western allies regarding Ukraine’s use of their weapons on the territory of Russia. He believes that the reason for such restrictions is the fear of escalation of the conflict and the fear of the possibility of Russia using nuclear weapons. This issue remains one of the key reasons for the restraint of the governments of many countries, despite the fact that the chances of using nuclear potential are extremely low at this time.
“I think the American government, despite all the good things it’s done, unfortunately seems more focused on preventing the collapse of the Putin regime and more focused on preventing escalation than helping Ukraine actually win this conflict, even though it it is in the interests of the United States that Ukraine wins this war.” – thinks the general.
As Godges points out, in many Western capitals, political elites continue to think that the Kremlin is capable of taking extreme measures in the event of a threat to its regime. Thus, while providing Ukraine with powerful weapons, they limit their use only to defense, fearing that strikes on Russian territory could cause a chain reaction, including the possible use of nuclear weapons. However, these fears are groundless.
According to Ben Godges, the fear of nuclear escalation is greatly exaggerated. The general calls to focus efforts on supporting Ukraine in its struggle, since the victory of Kyiv corresponds to the strategic interests of the West.
“Unfortunately, my government is more concerned about the nuclear threat than helping Ukraine win. That’s why they’re not doing it. That’s why they still have restrictions on what’s being provided. So I think the approach of Ukraine and supporters of Ukraine should be to convince the administration that Russia is not going to use nuclear weapons and that we should not fear the collapse of the Putin regime.” said the former commander of the US Army in Europe.
He noted that Western governments should abandon the policy of limiting the provision of weapons, in particular long-range systems, and focus on achieving a real victory for Ukraine, which will be a guarantee of security for all of Europe.
