Andrei Illarionov, former chief economic adviser to Russian President Vladimir Putin, told Newsmax on Wednesday that President Joe Biden and his administration ''lie all the time'' and are ''not fulfilling'' the promises they made to support and defend Ukraine from Russia's invasion.
''May I tell you just my sincere feeling, I don't trust any warnings [to Russia] from the current U.S. administration officials,'' Illarionov, who served as Putin's adviser from 2000 to 2005, said on ''Spicer & Co.''
''I've heard so many different warnings from [President] Biden, from [national security adviser Jake] Sullivan, from [Secretary of State Antony] Blinken, I don't believe them, they lie all the time, and they did not fulfill their promises.''
Illarionov said the administration promised the ''ironclad defense'' of Ukraine and support for its territorial sovereignty for months, but then ''did nothing'' when Russia invaded the country on Feb. 24.
''We heard it for 14 months. [Then] they did nothing,'' he said. ''When Mr. Blinken flew to Warsaw and met Ukrainians over there, and Ukrainians' plea to help, for help, from the United States, Mr. Blinken said openly: 'We're not going to be involved. We're not going to do anything about that.'''
He said more than sanctions are needed to stop Putin's military onslaught.
''Sanctions did not stop Russian tanks. It did not stop Putin's planes,'' he said. ''They just bombed Mariupol, killing dozens of people over there. The only thing that can stop Putin is force.''
He said that if the United States instituted a no-fly zone over Ukraine and provided planes to the country, it could turn the tide significantly against Putin.
''On the land, it is quite clear that [the] Ukrainian military is getting a hand over Russian troops,'' he said. ''Over the last two weeks, the number of military units, the tanks, artillery units, trucks, helicopters, that have been destroyed by [the] Ukrainian side [is] five times more than the Russian side.''
He said that is because the Ukrainian ground units are ''more efficient, professional and accurate'' than the Russians, but having control of the skies is ''critical'' for Ukrainians to defend their country.
''That is why [it is] crucial for defending Ukraine is to provide anti-aircraft and anti-missile defense to Ukraine,'' he said. ''Right now, it is necessary to provide what Ukrainian President [Volodymyr] Zelenskyy is asking for, jets. Closing [the] sky, and the aircraft and anti-missile defense from the United States, from NATO, and from other countries.''
He said that while some Russians may oppose what Putin is doing in Ukraine, his ''totalitarian'' regime still has an iron grip on the people and the chance of some kind of uprising is slim.
''I think it's not our discussion right now. It's not on the table at the moment,'' he said. ''We need to understand Russia is effectively a totalitarian regime. We do not have a good example of an uprising in the military in a totalitarian system.''
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