Alexander Vindman on Vladimir Putin and sending jets to Ukraine

[bluewater]

MARCH 23, 2022

Retired Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, 46, served in the U.S. Army and as director of European and Russian affairs for the National Security Council during the Trump administration. He testified in the first impeachment hearings against President Donald Trump. He lives in Virginia with his wife and children. This interview was conducted March 8 and has been edited for clarity and length.



So you don’t buy into Putin’s warnings that that would release catastrophic consequences?

He is very effective at preying on hopes and fears. For a long time, he preyed on our hopes that we could have a normal relationship, that the largest country in the world, by territory, was going to be a partner, whether with regards to climate change or terrorism. With very little progress. We put all our eggs on the promise, the hope, of a good relationship instead of committing to relationships that actually could bear fruit.

He’s also been very effective at preying on our fears. Extremely effective. This idea that somehow he’s a madman or somehow we’re lurching toward nuclear war — why would he pick a fight with a much, much more capable adversary if he’s already bogged down in Ukraine? And it is an absurd notion that sending over Cold War-era aircraft in NATO’s inventory to Ukraine to pilot is going to precipitate World War III. On what basis would Putin want to increase the prospects of mutually assured destruction? None. The guy loves himself. He sits a football field away from his closest allies and closest advisers because he doesn’t want to get sick. He is not suicidal. For him, this is all rational, based on the fact that he got away with things for so long.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/magazine/2022/03/23/ukraine-russia-putin-war-alexander-vindman/?itid=hp_magazine

Lt. Col. Vindman has a proven track record of being honest, informed, and insightful.

Much more of this interview at the link.

[David__77]

1. Joe Biden is right.

…

[underpants]

2. Great read

From Putin’s point of view?

From Putin’s point of view. Putin saw the opportunity emerge. And that continued through 2021 as he was building up forces. Trump cheerleading for Putin. Tucker Carlson cheerleading for Putin. Mike Pompeo cheerleading for Putin. These are the folks that signaled that the costs of this operation, this war, would be limited. Just as President Biden was attempting to signal that the toll would be heavy, half of the political leaders were signaling the opposite, undermining the ability to deter.

[brewens]

3. I've been hoping to see that the anti-aircraft weapons we've sent are doing the job. I don't know

that that's not the case. If the Russians start losing planes at a rate they can't sustain and stop the air attack soon, I'll think they had it covered all along.

[harumph]

4. This is the point I've tried to make in several posts.

[hlthe2b]

5. No matter how much knowledge a Putin/Russsian expert has...

no one can be sure what Putin will or won't do. But we do need more voices like his (Vindman) to counter the standard "line" assumptions.

[Zeitghost]

6. Vindman is biased on the Ukraine issue for obvious reasons

Biden has played this about as close to perfect as he could. Those who have been begging for more US involvement, no matter what their reason, have been wrong, thankfully we have cooler heads in the Administration who have prevailed.