Russian President Vladimir Putin may be saying he's open to peace talks, but he's also "pounding the table more about getting this war done fast," retired U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Blaine Holt said on Newsmax Monday.
"He's under a lot of pressure both abroad and at home," Holt, a former U.S. deputy military representative to NATO and now a Newsmax contributor, commented on "Wake Up America." "He got a tough letter from [Chinese President] Xi Jinping saying, I want an apology and I want this wrapped up. We talked about this."
Further, Putin's inner circle is worried about whether he can continue fighting the war, "because he's a sick man," said Holt, pointing to a report in the New York Post this weekend that the Russian leader is fighting cancer through the use of Western drugs.
There have also been reports that Putin is eyeing Dmitry Patrushev, the 45-year-old Russian minister of agriculture as his successor, said Holt.
"He probably won't get to do that because in that circle are bloodthirsty maniacs" such as Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the Wagner Group, a Russian paramilitary organization, said Holt.
Holt added that Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the United States, and the European Union should have a "united front" when it comes to negotiating with Putin, and that there should be no preconditions to the talks.
Meanwhile, blasts were heard this weekend at Russia's Engels air base, located several hundred miles from the Ukraine front-lines. Holt said Monday he thinks the attacks will remind Putin that "he faces very real risks in this war from the enemy," and that is a "good thing."
The new year also raises questions about how long either side can sustain the war, said Holt.
"With Russia getting further and further backed into a corner, do we start seeing barrages with much more lethal weaponry?" he said. "That seems to be something we worry about, or an invasion force from Belarus. And then on the other side of this thing, you know, we may find capitulation almost across the board that it is time to talk. And it is time to go find some sort of solution diplomatically to this crisis. We won't know if there is one. Let's at least get people into a room to get going on that."
Zelenskyy, in last week's speech to members of the U.S. Congress, said continued aid for Ukraine is a matter of world security.
Holt said he agrees that the United States "can't allow naked aggression" by one country against another, as the killing of civilians is not something that American values will allow to happen.
There must be transparency in how U.S. aid money to Ukraine is being spent, said Holt, but still, "we cannot reward aggression, because then, what's to say some other maniac isn't out there saying Well, if Putin can do it, I'm going to do it, too."
About NEWSMAX TV:
NEWSMAX is the fastest-growing cable news channel in America!