Former Trump National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster said on Monday’s broadcast of “CBS Mornings” that Russia and President Vladimir Putin were in “real trouble” as the invasion of Ukraine drags on.
Co-host Tony Dokoupil said, “How concerned should we be at this point that this battle is encroaching on what could be World War III territory?”
McMaster said, “Well, you know, I think we should be concerned, but I don’t think the World War III rhetoric is super helpful. It kind of plays into Putin’s hands. What he’s trying to do is to threaten an escalation of the war so that we will throttle back on our support for Ukraine. I think it’s important for us to recognize that Russia’s going to do everything it can to try to interdict the resupply for the Ukrainians, and this is humanitarian assistance and replenishing some military capabilities.”
He added, “What you’re seeing is that Russia is really getting desperate — not only with this action to try to interdict the supply routes but also with trying to lay the groundwork for, maybe, the use of chemical weapons, which is concerning. Then also Putin rattling his nuclear saber. So this is, I think, a real sign of weakness. I think Russia and Putin, in particular, is in real trouble.”
Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN
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