"The War in Ukraine May Drag On": Former NATO Leader Spoke About Putin’s Goal

Prolonged war in Ukraine perfectly suits Putin’s goals. The Kremlin dictator considers simmering a frozen conflict in the Eastern part of Ukraine as a reliable way to prevent real progress in Ukraine’s integration with the EU and the NATO and growth of the country’s economy, as  Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the former Secretary General of the NATO said in his interview for RBC-Ukraine.

He noted that the Russians are experts in prolonged armed conflicts and mentioned the examples of Georgia, Moldova and Transnistria, where the Russian troops have been deployed for several decades. Moreover, in Crimea and Donbas areas the war has started back in 2014.

“I am concerned by the fact that prolonged conflict may perfectly suit Putin’s goals. He considers simmering a frozen conflict in the Eastern part of Ukraine as a reliable way to prevent real progress in Ukraine’s integration with the EU and the NATO and growth of the country’s economy.

He knows that ongoing hostilities in the eastern areas will definitely interfere with the restoration of Ukraine. So I think the biggest risk is that his (Putin’s – ed.) goal may be dragging on of the conflict. He cannot defeat Ukraine, so he may attempt to drag it on forever”, Anders Fogh Rasmussen explained.

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