There are several flaws in former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger's argument for a negotiated peace between Ukraine and Russia, using the argument that it is necessary to reduce the risk of world war, retired U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Blaine Holt, a former U.S. deputy military representative to NATO, said on Newsmax Monday.
"He is acting as if the Ukrainian side is just loaded with leverage, and that the Russians would grasp at a deal that would include Ukraine membership," Holt told Newsmax's "Wake Up America," adding that the Russians are ready to keep fighting the war.
Holt, also a Newsmax contributor, added that Russian President Vladimir Putin's internal position is so weak, that if he reached out for negotiations, "he'd be eliminated immediately. He may be eliminated anyway."
Putin, meanwhile, is headed to Belarus Monday to meet with its leader, Alexander Lukashenko, while Kyiv is fearing that Moscow is pushing for its ally to join in with new ground fighting, reported The Guardian. Holt said that in-person meeting "means they absolutely do not trust their internal communications not to be intercepted by Western intelligence."
"What he's going to discuss with Lukashenko is all those forces up on that northern border of Ukraine and what an offensive would look like," said Holt, adding that the fighting force would be "formidable."
Iran is also involved in the "mix" with Ukraine, meaning there is a heightened potential of strikes on NATO states, said Holt.
"You can imagine IRGC [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps] terrorist tactics coming to bear with captured American weapons and a desperate Russia that wants to reverse the course of the war," said Holt. "You mix those three and you may have what looks like a terrorist attack thing in Europe. And the Russians would say Well, we didn't do it, but they are doing it."
Hold added that Putin's grasp on power is "starting to erode," and that he could be displaced by the "wolves at his door" if his weakness grows.
Holt on Monday further discussed new steps by the United States to arm Taiwan ahead of a possible invasion from China and said the threat of hostilities has grown with the Biden administration's national security team projecting weakness.
"China's got some real bad internal problems with their zero COVID policy," he said, which could back its leader, Xi Jinping, into a corner from where he would see Taiwan as a "distraction."
Japan is also starting to rebuild its military power, said Holt, and that also reflects that country's growing concern over the United States being able to protect it from China.
About NEWSMAX TV:
NEWSMAX is the fastest-growing cable news channel in America!
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.