Retired Brig. Gen. Blaine Holt predicted Thursday on Newsmax that the war in Ukraine will end this year "one way or another," warning that the conflict is approaching a decisive moment as President Donald Trump presses for a negotiated settlement.
Holt told "Finnerty" that the war, which will mark its fourth anniversary on Feb. 24, will either conclude through Trump-led diplomacy or end on terms dictated by Russian military advances.
"It'll end one way or another this year," Holt said. "Here's why it will end. Because Europe finally stopped being an impediment to President Trump's peace overtures. No, it's not his war. [He is the] only diplomatic actor in the entire thing."
Holt rejected claims that the conflict should be labeled Trump's responsibility, saying the war began under the Biden administration and has dragged on amid failed Western leadership.
"Or it will end on Russian military terms," Holt said. "People won't like that. They'll lament the loss of Odesa, likely. But one way or another, this war is going to end."
Holt warned that factions seeking to prolong the fighting could become more dangerous as prospects for peace increase.
"My worry is, is that people who want to keep the war going become desperate when they don't get their way," he said. "And so, I worry about false flags. I worry about other agendas in play here."
He also said the end of the conflict must be followed by investigations into corruption and misuse of funds tied to Ukraine aid.
"There's a lot to investigate audit-wise after this is all over with — the graft, the corruption," Holt said. "You can't avert your vision. It's there and it needs to be looked at because humanity is hanging in the balance with two nuclear powers rubbing up against each other."
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