General Petraeus on Britain and Ukraine

General David Petraeus,  a retired US Army general who was also Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) from 2011 until November 2012.

He recently had this to say about Britain and Ukraine.


"Britain's response to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine provides particularly powerful example. From late 2021 onward, UK demonstrated strategic clarity.

Your leaders publicly recognized the nature of Russian threat earlier than most, provided military assistance before and after the invasion, expanded intelligence support, imposed sanctions, trained Ukrainian forces, and consistently demonstrated leadership, even as others, including my country [the US] at times, hesitated.

Your Prime Minister was also the first major Western leader to visit Kyiv after the invasion, and despite changes of government and significant challenges at home, Britain has maintained remarkable continuity in recognizing both the threat posed by Russia and the imperative of sustained support for Ukraine.

Your new Prime Minister rightly made his first trip overseas to Kyiv to be there to help celebrate Ukraine's 35th anniversary of independence.

That deserves recognition, not merely because Britain stood with a country attacked by a common adversary, but because it demonstrated the quality that matters most in periods of strategic change: the ability to recognize reality clearly and act decisively before others do so."

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