Former commander of the US Army in Europe Ben Hodges called on European countries to stop complaining that the US might turn its back on them and called for determination in confronting Russia. He made the remarks at a conference in Oslo, The Guardian reports.
The retired general stressed that Russia is now in a state of open war with Europe, whether Europeans are willing to admit it or not.
“Russia is absolutely at war with Europe, whether we admit it or don't want to believe it,“ he said at a conference in Norway.
He criticized the term “hybrid war“, calling it “terrible” and misleading because it does not reflect the true scale of Moscow's hostile actions.
According to him, Russia wants Europe to stop supporting Ukraine.
“Until we can punish the Russians for what they are doing, this will continue every day,“, Hodges believes.
He noted that Europe should focus on supporting Ukraine and strengthening its defense capabilities.
Hodges made an emotional appeal to European leaders to stop panicking about the possible weakening of US support in the confrontation with Russia. The general stressed that Europe has enough capacity to defend itself.
“Europe can absolutely defend itself. Please stop whining. Why are there so many complaints about, you know, if the US leaves, what are we going to do? Please stand up to my president. Make us take responsibility for our words. Make us deliver on our promises,” Hodges said.
"What makes NATO successful? The reason the Soviet Union never attacked us in a traditional way is not because we invested billions of dollars in equipment. It's because they always knew we would all stand up to them," he added.
He also expressed his outrage at recent statements by Donald Trump and his Defense Secretary, Pete Hegsett. Hodges admitted that he "feels bad" about the president's comments about the casualties and the role of NATO countries in Afghanistan, calling such rhetoric disrespectful to allies.