All language subtitles for 30-09

The former US commander of the US Army in
Europe, General Ben Hodges, has urged Western

countries not to persuade Ukraine to negotiate
with Russia until the last Russian soldier

leaves Ukrainian soil.

He stated this on Twitter.

It was a brilliant operation," Hodges said
of Ukraine's offensive in the Kharkiv region.

Hodges also said he does not expect an "operational
pause" in the war in Ukraine in the coming

months.

"I expect Ukrainian forces to continue to
put pressure on Russian forces without giving

them a chance to recover," he said.

"Why can't the White House say that the goal
is to defeat Russia?

And we shouldn't pressure Ukraine into any
negotiations until the last Russian soldier

comes home over that big Kerch Bridge, which
I expect will happen before next summer,"

Hodges said, commenting on a recent statement
by John Kirby of the National Security Council

that President Joe Biden supports a diplomatic
way to end the war in Ukraine.

The AFU will be in Crimea until the middle
of next year, Ben Hodges predicted.

"I do hope that by the end of this year Ukrainian
forces will push Russian forces back to their

February 23 positions, and by the middle of
next year Ukrainians will be in Crimea," Hodges

said.

As for, the possibility of Russian use of
nuclear weapons, that in his opinion, it is

unlikely.

The Ukrainian Armed Forces began disrupting
Russian logistics chains in temporarily annexed

Crimea back in the summer.

The first "claps" sounded there on August
9, and since then Russian weapons and ammunition

depots have exploded more than once.

Another task of the defenders is the Kerch
Bridge; Ukrainian authorities have already

confirmed their plans to destroy it.

He also noted that the mobilization announced
by the Russian president shows that Vladimir

Putin is desperate.

The general believes that this will not yield
the expected results in the near future, as

it takes time to prepare the citizens recruited
into the army.

Moreover, Hodges doubts that the Russians
will be able to mobilize 300,000 men.

Except only to escape for the territory of
Russia, for example to Kazakhstan, Turkey

and Sakartvelo".