NEW YORK – “Navalny’s death was caused by Putin. The only effective way to respond is to give Kiev the weapons it needs to defend itself, starting with long-range missiles.” This is the appeal of Kurt Volker, former American ambassador to NATO and special envoy for Ukraine in the Trump administration.
What happened to Navalny?
“His death was Putin’s deliberate political choice to put him in the most terrible conditions, to kill him. As for the timing, he died on the day his wife was supposed to speak at the Munich conference. Now Biden has to raise his voice to get the the release of Evan Gershkovich and Paul Whelan sooner, if this is how the Russians treat their prisoners.”
Biden said Putin is responsible. Agree?
“Without a doubt, absolutely. If a detainee is in the custody of the Russian state, it is the responsibility of the Russian state to keep him alive. The opposite was deliberately done.”
Was the execution sped up to coincide with Munich?
“Some speculate that Putin wanted to send a message by having him die on the day his wife was supposed to speak.”
Do you see a connection with the case of the journalist Gershkovich?
“If they let prisoners in their custody die like this, we must insist that he be released immediately.”
Could Putin keep him alive because he is a hostage to be exchanged?
“He mentioned the possibility of freeing him in exchange for Vadim Krasikov, convicted of murder in Germany. It is possible that he will now use Navalny’s killing to increase pressure.”
Biden told Putin in Geneva that if Navalny died in prison there would be devastating consequences.
“Maybe he doesn’t believe him, also due to the restrictions decided so far by Biden on the sale of arms to Ukraine and the sanctions.”
How should we respond?
“In addition to sanctions, give Ukraine the military supplies it has so far refused, such as Atacms long-range missiles and aircraft.”
The US Senate has approved 60 billion in aid to Kiev, but the Republican-led House is holding back. What needs to be done?
“They have to find a way to bring the package to the vote, because 80% of Republicans support it and therefore it would pass. There are at least three different ways to do it, it’s up to Speaker Johnson to decide how. The issue is not Ukraine, but what to do at the border”.
Some suggest the discharge petitionthat is, collecting signatures to demonstrate that the majority of deputies are in favor.
“It’s a possibility, not probable. The others are to add the HR2 law to the package, approved by the House for immigration, or divide it and vote on it piece by piece, Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan. The options are there, Johnson must choose” .
On the ground, Ukraine is in difficulty: can it wait months?
“It’s urgent. You saw Avdiivka, where the Ukrainians had to abandon their positions due to lack of ammunition. It’s tough, supplies are needed as soon as possible.”
What is happening on the ground?
“There is a lack of ammunition. Then the Russians concentrated their capabilities in one place, Avdiivka, and despite enormous losses they continued to attack until the defenses were no longer able to stop them. This, however, does not mean that Moscow will be able to launch large advanced elsewhere. He made an enormous effort in a pocket within the territories he controls: there aren’t many other similar cases, he won’t be able to repeat the operation easily.”
Zelensky replaced General Zaluzhny, what do you think?
“There were many risks, but they were managed. Zaluzhny received recognition as a hero of Ukraine, and Syrsky who took his place is highly respected by the military. Things are calm.”
What strategy should we adopt now?
“American military assistance must be approved immediately. Then we must build a more solid defensive line, so that the Russians cannot advance. Furthermore, we must give Kiev long-range artillery to hit the Russian logistics structure.”
What do you think of Trump’s threat not to defend Europe?
“It’s not appropriate for anyone to wish war on anyone, especially the allies. But it was a rally, he prided himself on being tough. He was referring to something done in the past, not the future, and the point was to push Europeans to spend more for defence. We don’t know what he will do if he is re-elected, but Europe is spending more on defence. Now 18 NATO members are above 2% of GDP, the situation has changed.”
Many fear that Putin is aiming for Trump’s re-election.
“We don’t know if it’s convenient for him. Trump hasn’t yet seriously thought about what to do with NATO, Russia and Ukraine. He wants to win the elections and says what he needs to. Then he’ll think about it.”