Former Undersecretary of Defense Robert Wilkie told Newsmax on Thursday that a peace deal to end the Russia-Ukraine war within the next 48 hours doesn't seem likely as Russian President Vladimir "Putin has blown through every offer that the United States and the Europeans have made."
At least nine people were killed and more than 70 injured early Thursday when Russia launched an hourslong drone and missile strike on Kyiv in the deadliest attack on the Ukrainian capital since July. The strike came hours after President Donald Trump suggested that a peace deal with Russia was forthcoming.
Wilkie told "Wake Up America" that he thinks "there may be some recalculation in the White House" after Putin's latest assault on Ukraine.
"Putin showed who he is: He's a gangster and a killer," Wilkie said. "His propaganda machine said it was targeting aviation depots when they hit civilian areas pretty strongly with ballistic missiles.
"So, Putin, he continues to try the president's patience, and I think that has to enter into whatever they're discussing."
Complicating the already fraught situation is the trade deal that Trump is trying to negotiate with Beijing, Wilkie said, noting that the war between Russia and Ukraine could potentially affect any agreement with China.
"The Chinese are now beginning to provide more troops to Putin to use because Putin is running out of troops," he said. "They've also provided 90% of the machine tools that the Russians are using for their war production and they've provided 70% of the computer assets for this. So, that's another aspect of this that, I think, the president will be looking at as he goes down a road with the Chinese peace deal."
The carnage in Ukraine "is going to go on for a while," Wilkie said, because "Putin has made a mistake" in launching "another attack on civilians" at a time "when Trump has actually called off the diplomatic dogs."
Some European leaders have said that the end goal should be to push Putin completely out of Ukraine, but Wilkie said "if that's your goal, then your next step is to take Moscow."
"There has to be a realization here that unless you're willing to send the British army and the French army and even the United States army into Ukraine, which we could do and push the Russians completely out, you'd better want to take Moscow next because that's the only way it's going to stop," he said. "You go down that road and there are nuclear issues involved that are currently not involved in this battle."
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Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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