INTERNATIONAL: Before Russia has signed a decree recognizing breakaway regions in Eastern Ukraine, a retired senior U.S. General, former Commander of U. S. Army forces in Europe has said on Sunday, February 20, that Russia will likely not launch a full-fledged invasion of Ukraine but rather try to strangle the country economically, potentially by blocking its sea trade.

Ben Hodges, who authored “Future War and the Defence of Europe,” has also said, Putin would prefer, to achieve his aim of Ukraine as a failed state, and it’s like a boa constrictor that just squeezes Ukraine to wreck its economy so that the government collapses, so collapse of the economy would lead to the collapse of the government. And then I don't know what would replace the government of president Zelenskiy, but it would be potentially, we're looking at a failed state that could not join the West.

He further says; “President Putin lives with options. I don't think that six months ago, he said, okay, in February, we're going to attack Ukraine. I think he probably told the General Staff of all the options to be able to do this, actually he probably did this a couple of years ago because he sees that the window is closing, not because of whether this year, but because in a couple of years, Ukraine was going to be too strong to attack."

No one can tell yet, how it's really going to turn out. Hudges has mentioned that he doesn't think it's feasible or desirable for the Russians to launch a huge attack into Ukraine.

The Alliance is going to seriously reconsider permanent basing in Poland and Romania and the Baltic countries,. He has said, he used to be against it because he has supported the NATO's policy of respecting the NATO-Russia Founding Act, which said no permanent basing in former Warsaw Pact countries or former Soviet republics. But Russia has abrogated that, by their invasion of Ukraine.

Hodges is in Munich to promote his book, "Future War and the Defence of Europe", co-written with senior security experts John Allen and Julian Lindley-French set against the fictional backdrop of Russia attacking a Europe weakened by yet another pandemic in 2030.