General Ben Hodges, a retired U.S. Army officer and former commander of U.S. forces in Europe, has stated that Ukraine should be admitted to NATO and the European Union to prevent further aggression from Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In an op-ed for Europäische Sicherheit & Technik magazine published on Friday, Hodges argued that Russia's "aggressive war against Ukraine and its broader aggression against Europe" is the "first and most dangerous short-term threat" among global challenges. Other threats he identified include China, Iran, and North Korea.
Hodges views Putin's war against Ukraine as having "reduced the Russian economy to ruins," and he criticized much of the Russian military for being "incompetent and corrupt." He emphasized the need to prepare for the collapse of Putin's regime, suggesting that the West should "organize for victory."
For Hodges, "victory" means pushing Russian forces back to Ukraine's internationally recognized borders from 1991, returning tens of thousands of kidnapped Ukrainian children, holding Russia accountable for war crimes at the International Criminal Court, and using Russian assets for Ukraine's reconstruction.
He expressed optimism that with unified action from the global West, particularly the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, and France, Ukraine can indeed win the war. He also considered a nuclear response from Russia to be unlikely.
However, Hodges warned that if Ukraine loses its defensive campaign, the risk increases that "Russia will attack NATO countries using conventional means."
The retired general also criticized former U.S. President Joe Biden's policies, arguing that Biden "failed to explain to the American public why it's in our strategic interests for Ukraine to defeat Russian aggression," leading to "inconsistent and contradictory policies and drip-feed support for Ukraine."
Hodges believes Ukraine should be allowed to strike targets deep within Russia without restrictions from the U.S. or other countries. "The large Russian mass—headquarters, artillery, logistics—must be destroyed with precision strikes," he stated.
He also pointed out that 2025 should be the "year of industrial competition," and with Western economic strength vastly surpassing Russia’s, the West, alongside Ukraine, could win this competition.
Regardless of the war's outcome, Hodges stressed the need for a new Western strategy to counter Russia, suggesting that Kyiv could become a "bulwark against Putin's clearly outlined plans for further conquest of Europe."
