David Petraeus: US Could Engage Russia in Ukraine Without NATO Support, But Allies Could Jump in Anytime

Ex-US spy chief and Army general David Petraeus stated that Washington might engage Moscow in Ukraine without the assistance of NATO allies.

Biden Administration Thinks Ukraine's Victory Is Important

According to the ex-CIA director, if Moscow steps up its offensive in Ukraine and pushes the Zelensky regime to the wall. It would push the US and its allies to do something that could make the conflict worse, not de-escalate, reported Press TV.

In an interview conducted by France's weekly magazine L'Express, he emphasized that they may respond in one way or another, but as a multinational force led by the US rather than as a NATO force, noted HO1.

David Petraeus, ex-commander of the American occupation forces in Afghanistan from 2010 to 2011, recommended that we could perhaps form a new alliance of the willing in a similar situation and use it rather than a NATO force to engage against Russia.

In particular, he argued that NATO would remain obligated by the terms of a military alliance and would only enter the war if any of its members were assaulted. He said earlier this month that the US could destroy all Russian soldiers as well as the Russian Black Sea fleet if Moscow used nuclear weapons within Ukraine.

Petraeus Interview Details

During his Saturday appearance, the distinguished retired Army general reiterated such remarks by declaring that America's response to any Russian nuclear test will involve more than simply diplomatic, economic, and legal measures.

He goes on to underline that his earlier statements focused on one of the many alternatives Washington had available in the event of Moscow's choosing to utilize nuclear weapons, labeling the predicted move an extremely poor decision.

But David Petraeus kept insisting, nevertheless, that Moscow is just not focused on ramping up the Ukraine military confrontation and having to turn to a global war, adding that even a wider dispute is the last thing Russia's President Vladimir Putin needs at the moment.

He talked about various topics, including the alleged significant counterattacks and gains by the Zelensky government. The former CIA employee also claimed that Russia is powerless and unable to defeat the Ukrainian army on the front lines, citing The Guardian.

This transpired as Moscow declared on Saturday that Russian forces had blocked a Kievan offensive in the southern province of Kherson, wherein Kievan forces, too, had recently announced gains.

Russian Defense Ministry mentioned that the Ukrainians were knocked back and were the ones who retreated to square one.

It moved on to note that Ukrainian forces pushed their counterattack towards the areas of Piatykhatky, Suhanove, Sablukivka, and Bezvodne on the west bank of the Dnieper River. Russian forces had also deflected threats in eastern Ukraine's Luhansk and Donetsk regions.

Petraeus had been named director of the CIA intelligence agency until 2011, only to resign the following year after a scandal involving his infidelity affair with a woman who was presumably writing his life story. He made it clear that the US has options if it wants to interfere directly with Moscow in Ukraine, creating a dangerous situation.