If Putin has territorial goals beyond Ukraine, a former US defense secretary explains 

On Saturday’s “One Nation with Brian Kilmeade,” former US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates explained what Russian President Vladimir Putin would need to do to secure Ukraine and install a puppet government.   

ROBERT GATES: He doesn’t have nearly enough troops to quell a rebellion among millions of Ukrainians, so he’ll have to maintain a significant military presence in the country. If he wants to keep that country, he’ll have to increase it.

Even if he installs a puppet government, he’ll have to keep forces there to keep that government in power. So, with his hands full in Ukraine and the threat of a full-fledged NATO war, I believe he’ll be very cautious about doing anything that crosses NATO’s boundaries.  

Now, I believe there is a risk he may utilize intelligence means — cyber, covert operations, and so on — to attempt to stir up trouble in the Baltic States. In both Estonia and Latvia, Russians account for 30% of the population.

So I can see him causing difficulties in the Baltic states, but I don’t see him invading, and I’d just like to make one final point. What’s crucial here, in my opinion, are the forces that the US has committed, and it’s not just the 101st and 82nd Airborne, but also heavily armored units.

This is serious business, and it’s necessary to send a message to the Russians that crossing into a NATO country is not an option. We are serious about our work. And I believe that sending even more armored brigades is a good idea.

Edited by: Kiran Maharana

Published by: Vishakha Verma