Another Statement From Circles Close to Trump Condemning the Strike on Russian Airfields
The Ukrainian drone attack has put the world on a “path to escalation,” retired Air Force Gen. Blaine Holt told the Republican-leaning Newsmax.
“I have never in my life been more concerned about global or national security than I am right now. I understand that this is a tactical victory, the Ukrainians have a tactical victory, but they have struck a third of the strategic bombers that are covered by the START treaty, which dates back to 2010. But there is not a single Russian in the Russian armed forces who believes that Ukraine was able to achieve this without the help of Western intelligence agencies, including our own,” Holt said.
“The leader of the Russian missile forces has now openly stated that they are now fixing the coordinates of Paris, London and Washington. This is an escalation path with no way back now. I pray that President Trump can find a way back by calling President Putin, but as a military officer with 27 years of service in the United States and NATO, I can tell you that we are in a very dangerous place,” Holt said on June 2 (recall that Trump called Putin yesterday).
He also does not believe that after this action Russia has become closer to military defeat.
Let us recall that earlier a number of Trump supporters spoke about the threat of escalation as a result of the strike on the airfields – the special representative for Ukraine Kellogg, former Trump advisers Bannon and Flynn.
“If it is true that our President was not consulted or informed [about the strike on the planes – Ed .], then this is not just a breach of protocol. It is a geopolitical insult and a warning sign. If Ukraine is willing to strike with strategic implications without notifying the White House, we are no longer allies with coordination problems – we are adversaries flying blind. Also, given the recent visit of ‘warmonger’ Senator Lindsey Graham and Blumenthal, this attack may appear sanctioned,” Flynn wrote.
The New York Times also reported yesterday, citing sources, that Trump considers Zelensky “a bad guy who is pushing for nuclear war.”
The Ukrainian drone attack on Sunday that destroyed 40 aircraft deep inside Russia put the world on an “escalation path,” retired Air Force Brig. Gen. Blaine Holt told Newsmax, saying that it’s one that is difficult to reverse.
Russian state media and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday that the latest round of direct peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv in Istanbul ended after just over an hour. The second round of negotiations comes after Russian President Vladimir Putin declined to attend the first direct attempt to wind down the war, which began in February 2022.
Holt, appearing on “Wake Up America,” said he will “pray for a breakthrough” of some kind during the negotiations “that nobody saw coming.”
“I’ll tell you, I’ve been on the air, and I’ve been blessed to be on the air with you all since Kabul fell [and] I’ve never been more concerned about global or national security in my life than I am right now,” Holt said. “I understand it’s a tactical win, the Ukrainians have a tactical win, but they hit a third of a strategic bomber force that is covered by a START treaty [nuclear arms reduction treaty] that goes back to 2010. There is no Russian in the military there that believes that Ukraine was able to achieve this without Western intelligence help, including our country.
“The leader of rocket forces for Russia has now openly said they are now locking in the coordinates for Paris, London and Washington, D.C. This is an escalation path now without a reverse gear. I pray there’s a reverse gear that President [Donald] Trump can find by calling President Putin, but, as a military officer with 27 years of service at the flag level and NATO service, I can tell you we are in a big dangerous place that we weren’t in three days ago, and I pray that something good happens in those talks today.”
Asked for a worst-case scenario, if the peace talks don’t go well, Holt said, “the worst that can happen is that we get on an escalatory path.”
“Russia blames NATO, blames the United States, they don’t take calls from President Trump anymore and we’re in a Cold War situation, much like we were when I was a young second lieutenant,” he said, adding that, in such a scenario, the U.S. would be “always at the edge, looking for some pathway to talk to the Russians and potentially looking at a hot war.”
Holt said that “no one should take this lightly,” given the potential for escalation, and said he has previously warned that “the Europeans need to follow President Trump’s leadership on this.”
“Can you tell me that they’re going to militarily defeat Russia? No, they can’t,” Holt said, referring to the Ukrainians. “This was a masterful event like the Doolittle Raid, but it doesn’t have the legs behind it. And if you can’t carry it through to victory, then what are you doing with the bear that has nuclear weapons?”
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Resources:
https://t.me/intelslava/75451
https://www.newsmax.com/newsmax-tv/blaine-holt-ukraine-russia/2025/06/02/id/1213251/
