Russia's warnings to the United States against sending Patriot air defense missiles to Ukraine shows "they're never going to miss an opportunity to saber rattle," retired U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Blaine Holt, a former U.S. deputy military representative to NATO, commented on Newsmax, Friday.
"They're never going to miss an opportunity to threaten us with anything, but they are concerned about high-end systems that we possess, coming to bear in this war against them, Holt, also a Newsmax contributor, said on "Wake Up America."
Further, the threats come as Russian President Vladimir Putin is "under so much pressure internally" because of the war, Holt continued.
Russia's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova on Thursday said in a weekly briefing that the United States has "effectively become a party" to the war after reports that it would provide Kyiv with the advanced missile systems, and warned that the move could bring "possible consequences."
Putin has been making threats about the use of nuclear weapons against Ukraine, which Holt called "absolutely daunting."
"What I think weighs heavy on all of them is just the gravity of an existential fight for their country if a nuclear weapon comes to bear," Holt said. "That's the end for many of them, but also every square inch of dirt and every building and every innocent life they're trying to save and that's really where their hearts and minds are. And that's why you see so much spirit out of the Ukrainians. They're fighting for tomorrow."
Meanwhile, it is taking a great deal for the U.S. and other countries to support Ukraine's war effort, said Holt, but that "doesn't mean we shouldn't."
"You can see the damage to Europe and the suffering that people are going to go through to make this sacrifice for freedom," he said.
Putin is "under a lot of pressure," with even "some of his propagandists" turning on him, said Holt.
"His health is depleting and he is now turning off events that he typically stands up and does," he added.
Meanwhile, Holt said the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, where the Wagner Group, a Russian paramilitary organization, is "eviscerating and turning the town to ash," while its leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, is using the attacks for political capital back in Moscow.
"It's militarily not that valuable," said Holt. "One would wonder what designs on Putin and the inner circle does Prigozhin have, or what type of ambition does he have. I think his ambition is unlimited."
Holt also commented on Ukraine's fight coming amid the country's harsh winter months, which will "test anybody's soul and spirit, regardless of war."
However, he said he finds the stories about U.S. veterans working to restore heat and electricity inspiring, as they are "staving off a multimillion wave of refugees to come flooding into Europe."
"Our hearts are with these Ukrainian civilians that have endured," Holt said. "The spirit of the Ukrainian people has been something to behold over the last 10 months."
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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.
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