🎙️ Voice is AI-generated. Inconsistencies may occur.
Retired four-star U.S. General David Petraeus predicted that Russian President Vladimir Putin has entered a "desperate situation" in Ukraine that has left the Kremlin leader with no more paths to a victory.
Speaking at the annual Warsaw Security Forum in Poland on Tuesday, Petraeus said that "none" of the options lying in front of Putin are options he can get out of.
"Putin cannot do anything to reverse [the situation in Ukraine]. Partial mobilization resulted in more people leaving Russia than show[ing] up at the subscription points," Petraeus said, according to Polish outlet Dziennik.pl.
Petraeus, who served as the CIA director and the commander of coalition forces in Iraq, has repeatedly cautioned the U.S. to take Putin's nuclear threats seriously.
On Tuesday, he added that while the Biden administration's stark warnings to Moscow would not necessarily prevent Putin from launching a nuclear attack, the retired general didn't see a scenario where such a move would benefit Russia or reverse the successful counteroffensive Ukraine has commanded in recent weeks.
During the panel discussion, Petraeus emphasized the "increasingly central position" of Poland, highlighting the presence of the U.S. military in Poland and the growing importance of Polish armed forces in Europe.
"Virtually everything that goes to Ukraine passes through Poland," he said. "This is the center of gravity. We understand its strategic importance."
The ongoing military conflict in Ukraine has taken center stage at the two-day security meeting, where top politicians and defense industry officials gather annually to discuss leading political and military issues.
In his opening remarks, Polish Defence Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Mariusz Blaszczak said the war in Ukraine "has become a reminder for us all that the nightmares of a full-scale war in Europe are not a thing of the past" and that it "begs numerous questions about how to bolster our common security."
On Sunday, Petraeus told ABC News' This Week that "no amount of annexation, no amount of even veiled nuclear threats" could help Putin escape the fact that Ukrainian forces have held their ground in the Donbas.
On Friday, Putin said he was "forever" annexing four regions of Ukraine after referendums (viewed as "shams" by Ukraine and Western nations) held by separatist groups claimed the majority of residents wanted to join Russia. The latest move from Putin also comes on the heels of his September announcement that Russia would mobilize some 300,000 reservists to expand the war effort.
"[Ukrainian] President [Volodymyr] Zelensky and Ukraine have mobilized vastly better than has Russia," Petraeus said during his This Week appearance. "Ukraine has recruited, trained, equipped, organized and employed force incomparably better than Russia has."
"There is nothing [Putin] can do at this point," he added.
Newsweek reached out to Russia's foreign ministry for comment.
About the writer
Katherine Fung is a Newsweek senior reporter based in New York City. She has covered U.S. politics and culture extensively. ... Read more