Retired Army Gen. Wesley Clark told Newsmax that the latest request by Russia to meet with the U.S. is part of the Russians' game.
Clark told "American Agenda" on Monday, "This is part of the stall. It's designed to cause Western nations to think, 'Well, maybe it's about to be over.'"
He said that is the wrong way to look at the request.
"It's more of the Russian campaign plan," he said. "They push on the ground, they attack civilians and power infrastructure in the rear, and then they talk diplomatically."
The general said it's Russia's long-term strategy after invading Ukraine in 2022.
"It keeps the conversation going," he said, "and [they'd] like to troll out the United States by offering some grand strategic discussion, and, in return, the United States will give up Ukraine, something like that."
It's really all a feint, he said. "I mean, that's the way they think about things."
Clark said as long as Russia keeps stretching things out, they have more time to destroy parts of Ukraine, and the U.S. and European allies of Ukraine are kept off-balance.
The plan, he said, is that Russia wants to keep everyone thinking that "maybe we don't have to give Ukraine any more assistance. Maybe we cannot mobilize our forces. Maybe we don't have to invest in defense anymore. It's all part of the Russian way of war."
Clark said any talks with Russia at this point have to be considered as an opportunity to learn something and not a discussion about peace.
"You're not going to get a peace agreement, but you may get intelligence, and you may be able to break them down and put pressure on them in the meeting," he said.
But any thought of Russia agreeing to end its war with Ukraine, Clark said, is simply wishful thinking.
"You have to be prepared to protect your flanks when you go back home, because you may not get an agreement, and you knew going in you wouldn't," he said.
Russia's offensive continues with heavy fighting along multiple fronts.
Moscow is demanding recognition of its control over occupied regions, Ukrainian neutrality, and limits on Kyiv's military, terms Ukraine rejects as surrender.
Direct talks held in Istanbul this year and prisoner exchanges failed to produce a ceasefire or peace framework.
Analysts say a lasting agreement remains unlikely as both sides press ahead with military operations and maintain opposing goals.
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Jim Mishler ✉
Jim Mishler, a seasoned reporter, anchor and news director, has decades of experience covering crime, politics and environmental issues.
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