Ukraine can break through the Russian defense and reach Crimea by the end of the summer: General Hodges told us what it will take

Retired Lieutenant General Ben Hodges, former commander of the US Armed Forces in Europe, believes that the Ukrainian Defense Forces will be able to break through the Russian occupants' defense lines and reach Crimea by the end of this summer. To do so, Western countries must expand military aid to Kyiv.

Hodges told U.S. Newsweek. He called on U.S. President Joe Biden's administration to demonstrate its commitment and provide Ukraine with the modern weapons it needs to win.

In particular, we are talking about long-range missiles MGM-140 ATACMS and drones General Atomics MQ-1C Grey Eagle. It should be noted that in the United States, the Biden administration is urged to start supplying ATACMS missiles to the Ukrainian army. To this end, the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee considered and supported a bipartisan resolution, H.Res. 488.

"My main point is still that if the United States were to provide what Ukraine needs, Ukraine could actually liberate Crimea by the end of this summer," Hodges noted.

He also commented on concerns about the slow pace of Ukrainian troop movements. According to the general, it is too early to assess any successes or failures of the Ukrainian counteroffensive. The Defense Forces operation is ongoing, and Hodges remains optimistic about Kyiv's prospects.

In addition, he says that most of the AFU formations armed with heavy armored vehicles have not yet entered combat.

"At some point there will be a breakthrough...But for that they need high-precision, long-range weapons. The key task is to force the Black Sea Fleet out of Sevastopol, which would happen if Ukraine could use ATACMS. Those ships couldn't just stand there, all the facilities would have been destroyed. Also the airbase in Saki and other facilities," the lieutenant general said.

He stressed that if Ukraine, under pressure from the West, has to agree to any result in which Russia retains Crimea, then in two years we can expect a new war to break out.

"The Russians will wait until we lose interest. They will be able to attack from Crimea, Ukraine will never be able to rebuild its economy because the Russian fleet will be blocking the Sea of Azov and Odessa and Mykolaiv," Hodges explained.

As reported by OBOZREVATEL:

- British intelligence reports that Russia is preparing to defend Crimea. Moscow still considers maintaining control over the peninsula its top political priority.

- Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov expressed confidence that our Armed Forces will liberate Crimea from Russian occupation within a year. He intends to celebrate his next birthday exactly on the peninsula.

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