Former ambassador to Ukraine John E.Herbst who served in Ukraine between 2003–2006 believes Kyiv should be armed better to defend itself against Russia.
Commenting on Russia’s recent strike on the city of Dnipro medium-range ballistic missile called “Oreshnik”, he told the Ukrainian service of “Voice of America” that this is likely Russia’s response to Biden administration’s permission for Ukraine to strike Russian territory with American ATACMS missiles.
“Putin has threatened to use nuclear weapons, but as we see, he hasn’t followed through on those threats. Instead, he resorts to measures like this. This can be viewed as an escalation, but Putin has regularly raised the stakes since the beginning of the full-scale invasion,” he explained.
Herbst added that this is “further evidence” that Putin is determined to subjugate Ukraine and called on Washington D.C. to be more resolute.
“I believe our policy should be more decisive. We have allowed ourselves to be intimidated by his nuclear threats, and as a result, we are not equipping Ukraine effectively enough,” he said, adding that if he was shaping policy, he’d provide Ukraine with “Tomahawks.”
“We can change this [permission to use Tomahawks] at any moment, but I don’t see the Biden administration ready to do so yet. Regarding the Trump administration, if he returns, we might expect attempts to start peace negotiations,” he noted.
Herbst suggested that some “naive or weak” individuals in the US could use the Oreshnik strike as an argument against helping Ukraine. But there are reasonable people too in “the US who understand that the best way to avoid a major war is to show strength, not weakness.”
Previously, Euromaidan Press reported that John E.Herbst is allegedly being considered for the position of US Ambassador to Ukraine by Trump’s transition team. No official confirmation or nomination took place.
Former Representative Matt Gaetz, known for his anti-Ukraine statements, withdrew his Attorney General nomination.
